Domain-dependent strain and stacking in two-dimensional van der Waals ferroelectrics

oleh: Chuqiao Shi, Nannan Mao, Kena Zhang, Tianyi Zhang, Ming-Hui Chiu, Kenna Ashen, Bo Wang, Xiuyu Tang, Galio Guo, Shiming Lei, Longqing Chen, Ye Cao, Xiaofeng Qian, Jing Kong, Yimo Han

Format: Article
Diterbitkan: Nature Portfolio 2023-11-01

Deskripsi

Abstract Van der Waals (vdW) ferroelectrics have attracted significant attention for their potential in next-generation nano-electronics. Two-dimensional (2D) group-IV monochalcogenides have emerged as a promising candidate due to their strong room temperature in-plane polarization down to a monolayer limit. However, their polarization is strongly coupled with the lattice strain and stacking orders, which impact their electronic properties. Here, we utilize four-dimensional scanning transmission electron microscopy (4D-STEM) to simultaneously probe the in-plane strain and out-of-plane stacking in vdW SnSe. Specifically, we observe large lattice strain up to 4% with a gradient across ~50 nm to compensate lattice mismatch at domain walls, mitigating defects initiation. Additionally, we discover the unusual ferroelectric-to-antiferroelectric domain walls stabilized by vdW force and may lead to anisotropic nonlinear optical responses. Our findings provide a comprehensive understanding of in-plane and out-of-plane structures affecting domain properties in vdW SnSe, laying the foundation for domain wall engineering in vdW ferroelectrics.