title: Polarization-modulated rectification at ferroelectric surfaces.
abstract: By correlating room temperature conductive atomic force microscopy with low temperature electrostatic force microscopy images of the same sample region, we demonstrate that nanoscale electric conduction between a sharp tip and the surface of ferroelectric HoMnO3 is intrinsically modulated by the polarization of ferroelectric domains. Conductance spectra reveal that the electric conduction is described by polarization-induced Schottky-like rectification at low bias, but dominated by a space-charge limited conduction mechanism at high bias. Our observation demonstrates visualization of ferroelectric domain structure by electric conduction, which may be used for nondestructive readout of nanoscale ferroelectric memories and/or ferroelectric sensors.
authors.affiliation: Rutgers Center for Emergent Materials and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Rutgers University, Piscataway, New Jersey 08854, USA. wdwu@physics.rutgers.edu
authors.forename: Weida
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Wu
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Guest
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Horibe
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Choi
authors.forename: S-W
authors.initials: SW
authors.lastname: Cheong
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bode