Observation of room-temperature polar skyrmions

S. Das (), Y. L. Tang, Z. Hong, M. A. P. Gonçalves, M. R. McCarter, C. Klewe, K. X. Nguyen, F. Gómez-Ortiz, P. Shafer, E. Arenholz, V. A. Stoica, S.-L. Hsu, B. Wang, C. Ophus, J. F. Liu, C. T. Nelson, S. Saremi, B. Prasad, A. B. Mei, D. G. Schlom, J. Íñiguez, P. García-Fernández, D. A. Muller, L. Q. Chen, J. Junquera, L. W. Martin and R. Ramesh ()
Additional contact information
S. Das: University of California
Y. L. Tang: University of California
Z. Hong: The Pennsylvania State University
M. A. P. Gonçalves: Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)
M. R. McCarter: University of California
C. Klewe: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
K. X. Nguyen: Cornell University
F. Gómez-Ortiz: Universidad de Cantabria
P. Shafer: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
E. Arenholz: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
V. A. Stoica: Pennsylvania State University
S.-L. Hsu: University of California
B. Wang: The Pennsylvania State University
C. Ophus: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
J. F. Liu: Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory
C. T. Nelson: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
S. Saremi: University of California
B. Prasad: University of California
A. B. Mei: Cornell University
D. G. Schlom: Cornell University
J. Íñiguez: Luxembourg Institute of Science and Technology (LIST)
P. García-Fernández: Universidad de Cantabria
D. A. Muller: Kavli Institute at Cornell for Nanoscale Science
L. Q. Chen: The Pennsylvania State University
J. Junquera: Universidad de Cantabria
L. W. Martin: University of California
R. Ramesh: University of California

Nature, 2019, vol. 568, issue 7752, 368-372

Abstract: Abstract Complex topological configurations are fertile ground for exploring emergent phenomena and exotic phases in condensed-matter physics. For example, the recent discovery of polarization vortices and their associated complex-phase coexistence and response under applied electric fields in superlattices of (PbTiO3)n/(SrTiO3)n suggests the presence of a complex, multi-dimensional system capable of interesting physical responses, such as chirality, negative capacitance and large piezo-electric responses1–3. Here, by varying epitaxial constraints, we discover room-temperature polar-skyrmion bubbles in a lead titanate layer confined by strontium titanate layers, which are imaged by atomic-resolution scanning transmission electron microscopy. Phase-field modelling and second-principles calculations reveal that the polar-skyrmion bubbles have a skyrmion number of +1, and resonant soft-X-ray diffraction experiments show circular dichroism, confirming chirality. Such nanometre-scale polar-skyrmion bubbles are the electric analogues of magnetic skyrmions, and could contribute to the advancement of ferroelectrics towards functionalities incorporating emergent chirality and electrically controllable negative capacitance.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-019-1092-8

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