Robust in-plane polarization switching in epitaxial BiFeO3 films

Highlights:• Epitaxial BiFeO₃ (BFO) thin films were prepared by Pulsed-Leaser Deposition (PLD) technology.• The abundant domain dynamic were investigated by scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM).• Interesting domain dynamics with good retention and repeatability are observed under the external electric fields. -- Abstract: The enrichment domain state and its stability consist an imperative part regarding to the high density non-volatile ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM) devices. In this work, epitaxial BiFeO₃ (BFO) thin films were prepared by pulsed-leaser deposition (PLD) technology, and the morphology, local polarization state and piezoelectric response were characterized by scanning probe microscopy (SPM) and piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM). The robust in-plane domain dynamic process is observed under the external electric fields. Furthermore, good retention and repeatability are observed especially under high temperature. The new-developed domain patterns are nearly stable, which is quite different from the existed research. The formation of these domains is probably induced by the combination of built-in electric fields and distribution of tip fields, both of which affect the polarization dynamic process. All the obtained results pave a great way for application corresponding to the FRAM devices especially under high temperature circumstance.