title: Mechanical writing of ferroelectric polarization.
abstract: Ferroelectric materials are characterized by a permanent electric dipole that can be reversed through the application of an external voltage, but a strong intrinsic coupling between polarization and deformation also causes all ferroelectrics to be piezoelectric, leading to applications in sensors and high-displacement actuators. A less explored property is flexoelectricity, the coupling between polarization and a strain gradient. We demonstrate that the stress gradient generated by the tip of an atomic force microscope can mechanically switch the polarization in the nanoscale volume of a ferroelectric film. Pure mechanical force can therefore be used as a dynamic tool for polarization control and may enable applications in which memory bits are written mechanically and read electrically.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nebraska-Lincoln, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA.
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: C-W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Bark
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Esque de los Ojos
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Alcala
authors.forename: C B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Eom
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Catalan
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gruverman