arXiv subjects

Brahim Dkhil

Publications and source records attributed to Brahim Dkhil.

26 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2014

Local electrical control of magnetic order and orientation by ferroelastic domain arrangements just above room temperature

Ferroic materials (ferromagnetic, ferroelectric, ferroelastic) usually divide into domains with different orientations of their order parameter. Coupling different ferroic systems creates new functionalities, for instance the electrical control of macroscopic magnetic properties including magnetization and coercive field. Here we show that ferroelastic domains can be used to control both magnetic order and magnetization direction at the nanoscale with a voltage. We use element-specific x-ray imaging to map the magnetic domains as a function of temperature and voltage in epitaxial FeRh on ferroelastic BaTiO3. Exploiting the nanoscale phase-separation of FeRh, we locally interconvert between ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism with a small electric field just above room temperature. Our results emphasize the importance of nanoscale ferroic domain structure to achieve enhanced coupling in artificial multiferroics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2013

Genuine driving voltage on polarization fatigue in (Pb,La)(Zr,Ti)O3 antiferroelectric thin films

The polarization fatigue in (Pb0.97La0.02)(Zr0.95Ti0.05)O3 (PLZT) antiferroelectric thin films deposited onto silicon wafers is studied by investigating the effect of the peak/average/effective cycling voltage through varying the waveform of the electrical excitation. Interestingly, it is found that the fatigue endurance of the film is determined by the effective voltage of the external driving excitation rather than by the peak or average voltages. Our results can be well explained in the framework of the local phase decomposition model and indicate that the effective voltage should be considered as the genuine driving voltage determining the polarization fatigue in PLZT antiferroelectric films.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2013

Condensation of the atomic relaxation vibrations in lead-magnesium-niobate at $T=T^*$

We present neutron diffraction, dielectric permittivity and photoconductivity measurements, evidencing that lead-magnesium niobate experiences a diffuse phase transformation between the spherical glass and quadrupole glass phases, in the temperature interval between 400 K and 500 K, with the quadrupole phase possessing extremely high magnitudes of dielectric permittivity. Our analysis shows that the integral diffuse scattering intensity may serve as an order parameter for this transformation. Our experimental dielectric permittivity data support this choice. These data are important for the aplications desiring giant dielectric responses, in a wide temperature intervals and not related to electron's excitations.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2013

Effect of a built-in electric field in asymmetric ferroelectric tunnel junctions

The contribution of a built-in electric field to ferroelectric phase transition in asymmetric ferroelectric tunnel junctions is studied using a multiscale thermodynamic model. It is demonstrated in details that there exists a critical thickness at which an unusual ferroelectric-\'\' polar non-ferroelectric\rq\rq phase transition occurs in asymmetric ferroelectric tunnel junctions. In the \'\' polar non-ferroelectric\rq\rq phase, there is only one non-switchable polarization which is caused by the competition between the depolarizing field and the built-in field, and closure-like domains are proposed to form to minimize the system energy. The transition temperature is found to decrease monotonically as the ferroelectric barrier thickness is decreased and the reduction becomes more significant for the thinner ferroelectric layers. As a matter of fact, the built-in electric field does not only result in smearing of phase transition but also forces the transition to take place at a reduced temperature. Such findings may impose a fundamental limit on the work temperature and thus should be further taken into account in the future ferroelectric tunnel junction-type or ferroelectric capacitor-type devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2011

Multiple high-pressure phase transitions in BiFeO3

We investigate the high-pressure phase transitions in BiFeO3 by single crystal and powder x-ray diffraction, as well as single crystal Raman spectroscopy. Six phase transitions are reported in the 0-60 GPa range. At low pressures, up to 15 GPa, 4 transitions are evidenced at 4, 5, 7 and 11 GPa. In this range, the crystals display large unit cells and complex domain structures, which suggests a competition between complex tilt systems and possibly off-center cation displacements. The non polar Pnma phase remains stable over a large pressure range between 11 and 38 GPa, where the distortion (tilt angles) changes only little with pressure. The two high-pressure phase transitions at 38 and 48 GPa are marked by the occurence of larger unit cells and an increase of the distorsion away from the cubic parent perovskite cell. We find no evidence for a cubic phase at high pressure, nor indications that the structure tends to become cubic. The previously reported insulator-to-metal transition at 50 GPa appears to be symmetry breaking.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Partial decoupling between strain and polarization in mono-oriented Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 thin film

The structural evolution of epitaxial mono-oriented (i.e. with the c-axis perpendicular to the interface) ferroelectric Pb(Zr0.2,Ti0.8)O3 thin film has been investigated, using high resolution, temperature dependent, X-ray diffraction. The full set of lattice parameters was obtained, it allowed to estimate the variation of the polarization as a function of temperature, underlying the difference between the polarization-induced tetragonality and the elastic one. The temperature evolution of the misfit strain has been calculated and found to be in good agreement with the theoretical temperature-misfit strain phase diagram

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Stability of Glassy and Ferroelectric States in the Relaxors PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3 and PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3-12% PbTiO3

The stability of the disordered glassy phase in the relaxors PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3 and (PbMg1/3Nb2/3O3)0.88(PbTiO3)0.12, called PMN and PMN-PT, was investigated by preparing partially polarized samples and allowing them to age at zero field in the temperature range for which the phase is history-dependent. The PMN-PT polarization would spontaneously increase until long-range order formed, first appearing as giant polarization noise. Thus the thermodynamically stable phase in PMN-PT appears to be ferroelectric. In contrast, a PMN sample lacking the sharp first-order field-driven transition found in some other samples spontaneously depolarized, consistent with its glassy state being thermodynamically stable. Detailed thermal depolarization results in PMN show two distinct broad peaks as well as a small fraction of material with a distribution of abrupt melting transitions.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2007

Domain structure sequence in ferroelectric Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 thin film on MgO

The structural evolution of a polydomain ferroelectric Pb(Zr0.2Ti0.8)O3 film was studied by temperature dependent X-ray diffraction. Two critical temperatures were evidenced: T*=740K, corresponding to a change in the domain structure (a/c/a/c to a1/a2/a1/a2), and Tc_film = 825K where the film undergoes a ferroelectricparaelectric phase transition. The films remains tetragonal on the whole range of temperature investigated. The evolutions of the domain structure and lattice parameters were found to be in very good agreement with the calculated domain stability map and theoretical temperature-misfit strain phase diagram respectively.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗