Controlled Patterning of Ferroelectric Domains: Fundamental Concepts and Applications

Patterning ferroelectric domains to engineer devices is a relatively recent phenomenon. It is practiced on nonlinear optical materials to make micrometer-sized devices and on perovskite-based thin crystals to progress toward memory devices. Such patterning forms the basis of lithographic processing of heterogeneous nanostructures on thin-film oxides and polymers. The fundamental aspects of polarization switching relevant to patterning are summarized, after which the most common methods of patterning ferroelectric compounds are reviewed, with an emphasis on poling mechanisms for each case. Issues related to the stability of domain patterns and limitations on the smallest domain size are discussed. Finally, lithography based on ferroelectric patterning is demonstrated for a number of complex systems.