Sub‐Picosecond Processes of Ferroelectric Domain Switching from Field and Temperature Experiments

Abstract After calculations of various domain‐switching current transients under the pulse from electrical circuit parameters, the field dependence of domain‐switching speeds is accurately estimated over five orders of magnitude in a wide temperature range of 5.4–280 K from the height of domain‐switching current in Pb(Zr_0.4Ti_0.6)O₃ thin films. These estimations are extended following Merz's equation [W. J. Merz, Phys. Rev. 1954, 95, 690] and an ultimate domain‐switching current density of 1.4 × 10⁸ A cm⁻¹ is extracted at the highest field of 0.20 MV cm⁻¹. From classical domain‐nucleation models with thermal fluctuations, an ultimate (asymptotic high‐field) nucleation time of 0.47 ps is derived when the domain sideways motion is kink‐nucleation‐rate limited.