A ferroelectric crystal exhibits a stable and switchable electrical polarization that is manifested in the form of cooperative atomic displacements. A ferromagnetic crystal exhibits a stable and switchable magnetization that arises through the quantum mechanical phenomenon of exchange. There are very few 'multiferroic' materials that exhibit both of these properties, but the 'magnetoelectric' coupling of magnetic and electrical properties is a more general and widespread phenomenon. Although work in this area can be traced back to pioneering research in the 1950s and 1960s, there has been a recent resurgence of interest driven by long-term technological aspirations.

/pdf/multiferroic-and-magnetoelectric-materials-2fpof7uzog.pdf

Multiferroic and magnetoelectric materials

Magnetism and ferroelectricity are essential to many forms of current technology, and the quest for multiferroic materials, where these two phenomena are intimately coupled, is of great technological and fundamental importance. Ferroelectricity and magnetism tend to be mutually exclusive and interact weakly with each other when they coexist. The exciting new development is the discovery that even a weak magnetoelectric interaction can lead to spectacular cross-coupling effects when it induces electric polarization in a magnetically ordered state. Such magnetic ferroelectricity, showing an unprecedented sensitivity to ap plied magnetic fields, occurs in 'frustrated magnets' with competing interactions between spins and complex magnetic orders. We summarize key experimental findings and the current theoretical understanding of these phenomena, which have great potential for tuneable multifunctional devices.

/pdf/multiferroics-a-magnetic-twist-for-ferroelectricity-40nmxke8g8.pdf

Multiferroics: a magnetic twist for ferroelectricity

FERROELECTRIC materials are characterized by a switchable macroscopic polarization. Most technologically important ferroelectrics are oxides with a perovskite structure. The origin of their ferroelectric behaviour is unclear, however, and there is incomplete understanding of why similar, but chemically different, perovskites should display very different ferroelectric behaviour. The great sensitivity of ferroelectrics to chemistry, defects, electrical boundary conditions and pressure arises from a delicate balance between long-range Coulomb forces (which favour the ferroelectric state) and short-range repulsions (which favour the nonpolar cubic structure). To model the transition accurately, total-energy techniques are required which incorporate the effects of charge distortion and covalency. Here I report results of electronic-structure calculations on two classic examples of ferroelectric perovskites, BaTiO3 and PbTiO3, and demonstrate that hybridization between the titanium 3d states and the oxygen 2p states is essential for ferroelectricity. The different ferroelectric phase behaviour of the two materials is also clear: in PbTiO3, the lead and oxygen states hybridize, leading to a large strain that stabilizes the tetragonal phase, whereas in BaTiO3 the interaction between barium and oxygen is completely ionic, favouring a rhombohedral structure.

Origin of ferroelectricity in perovskite oxides

This review covers important advances in recent years in the physics of thin-film ferroelectric oxides, the strongest emphasis being on those aspects particular to ferroelectrics in thin-film form. The authors introduce the current state of development in the application of ferroelectric thin films for electronic devices and discuss the physics relevant for the performance and failure of these devices. Following this the review covers the enormous progress that has been made in the first-principles computational approach to understanding ferroelectrics. The authors then discuss in detail the important role that strain plays in determining the properties of epitaxial thin ferroelectric films. Finally, this review ends with a look at the emerging possibilities for nanoscale ferroelectrics, with particular emphasis on ferroelectrics in nonconventional nanoscale geometries.

/pdf/physics-of-thin-film-ferroelectric-oxides-3zmqphtpv1.pdf

Physics of thin-film ferroelectric oxides

Ferroelectric, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of ferroelectric thin films and ceramics are reviewed with the aim of providing an insight into different processes which may affect the behaviour of ferroelectric devices, such as ferroelectric memories and micro-electro-mechanical systems. Taking into consideration recent advances in this field, topics such as polarization switching, polarization fatigue, effects of defects, depletion layers, and depolarization fields on hysteresis loop behaviour, and contributions of domain-wall displacement to dielectric and piezoelectric properties are discussed. An introduction into dielectric, pyroelectric, piezoelectric and elastic properties of ferroelectric materials, symmetry considerations, coupling of electro-mechanical and thermal properties, and definitions of relevant ferroelectric phenomena are provided.

https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.1088/0034-4885/61/9/002/pdf

Ferroelectric, dielectric and piezoelectric properties of ferroelectric thin films and ceramics

The book develops the modern theory of ferroelectricity in terms of soft modes and lattice dynamics and also describes modern techniques of measurement, including X-ray, optic, and neutron scattering, infra-red absorption, and magnetic resonance. It includes a discussion of the related phenomena of antiferroelectricity, pyroelectricity, and ferroelasticity and seconds on domains, thin films, ceramics, and polymers, leading on to a comprehensive survey of potential and actual device capabilities for pyroelectric detection, memories, display, and modulation. It should provide an authoritative account for those engaged in research or graduate ferroelectric or pyroelectric devices.

Gerald Burns

Papers

Principles and Applications of Ferroelectrics and Related Materials