A recent breakthrough in mechanical polarization switching provides a valuable handle to achieve nanoscale ferroelectric domain control. This flexoelectric switching is usually observed in ultrathin films (≈10 nm or less in thickness), where a large strain gradient is possible. However, from the point of view of device applications, it will be more attractive to achieve mechanical domain switching in thicker films. Here, it is experimentally demonstrated that by introducing ferroelastic a ‐domains in PbZr_0.1Ti_0.9O₃ films the potential barrier against 180° c ‐domain switching can be greatly decreased, enabling mechanical ferroelectric domain switching in 50 nm thick films by applying a loading force from an atomic force microscope tip. Moreover, these a ‐domains are stable in the c ‐domain matrix without further mechanical stressing. This makes it possible to create nanoscale domain wall circuitry. These results shed light on the mechanism of domain switching in ferroelectric thin films and may facilitate the design of mechanically controlled novel ferroelectric devices.

中文翻译：

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Pb（Zr，Ti）O3薄膜中铁电畴的铁弹性域辅助机械转换

机械极化切换的最新突破为实现纳米级铁电畴控制提供了有价值的解决方案。通常在超薄膜（厚度约等于或小于10 nm）中观察到这种柔性电转换，在这种情况下可能会有较大的应变梯度。但是，从设备应用的角度来看，在较厚的薄膜中实现机械域切换将更具吸引力。在这里，通过实验证明，通过在PbZr _0.1 Ti _0.9 O ₃薄膜中引入铁弹性a畴，可以抵抗180° c的势垒可以极大地减少域切换，通过施加来自原子力显微镜尖端的加载力，可以在50 nm厚的薄膜中进行机械铁电域切换。此外，这些a域在c域矩阵中是稳定的，而没有进一步的机械应力。这使得创建纳米级畴壁电路成为可能。这些结果揭示了铁电薄膜中畴切换的机理，并可能有助于机械控制新型铁电器件的设计。