In the presence of asymmetric potential barriers, ferroelectric polarization can be reversed by light due to the photoinduced suppression of polarization. Both thermal effects and photocarrier-induced polarization screening may agree with this experimental observation, challenging its understanding. Here, we explore light-induced ferroelectric polarization switching in BaTiO3 thin films and demonstrate that the optical switch of polarization is mainly driven by photocarriers rather than thermal effects. It is shown that this response is governed by the concentration of photo-generated charges. Our conclusions can help us to better design optically switching devices based on ferroelectric materials.
In the presence of asymmetric potential barriers, ferroelectric polarization can be reversed by light due to the photoinduced suppression of polarization. Both thermal effects and photocarrier-induced polarization screening may agree with this experimental observation, challenging its understanding. Here, we explore light-induced ferroelectric polarization switching in BaTiO3 thin films and demonstrate that the optical switch of polarization is mainly driven by photocarriers rather than thermal effects. It is shown that this response is governed by the concentration of photo-generated charges. Our conclusions can help us to better design optically switching devices based on ferroelectric materials.
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Oxides for new-generation electronics
Disentangling electronic and thermal contributions to light-induced resistance switching in BaTiO3 ferroelectric tunnel junction