Journal of Materiomics

Journal of Materiomics

Volume 7, Issue 2, March 2021, Pages 281-294
Journal of Materiomics

Emergent strain engineering of multiferroic BiFeO3 thin films

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jmat.2020.08.005Get rights and content
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Highlights

  • Emergent strain engineering approaches are summarized. .

  • Freestanding thin films and interface layer introduction can impose continuous strain beyond substrate limitations.

  • Defects introduced by ion implantation can provide large tunable strain to achieve c/a ratio to 1.29 in BFO thin films.

Abstract

BiFeO3, a single-phase multiferroic material, possesses several polymorphs and exhibits a strong sensitivity to strain. Recently, emergent strain engineering in BiFeO3 thin films has attracted intense interest, which can overcome the confines of traditional strain engineering introduced through the mismatch between the film and substrate. In this review, we discuss emerging non-traditional strain engineering approaches to create new ground states and manipulate novel functionalities in multiferroic BiFeO3 thin films. Through fabricating freestanding thin films, inserting an interface layer or utilizing thermal expansion mismatch, continuously tunable strain can be imposed beyond substrate limitations. Nanostructured evolution and defect introduction are discussed as efficient routes to introduce strain, promising for the development of new nanodevices. Ultrafast optical excitation, growth conditions and chemical doping driven strain are summarized as well. We hope this review will arouse the readers’ interest in this fascinating field.

Keywords

BiFeO3
Freestanding thin films
Interface layer
Thermal expansion
Defect engineering
Ultrafast photoinduced strain

Cited by (0)

Fei Sun received her bachelor’s degree of Materials Science and Engineering from Chongqing University of Science and Technology in July 2017. Now she is a master student majoring in Material Physics and Chemistry at South China Normal University. Her research focuses on multiferroic BiFeO3 epitaxial thin films, especially in the control of domain wall types, size effects in the ferroelectric nanostructures and the characterization of physical properties using scanning probe microscopy system.

Deyang Chen is an associate professor in Institute for Advanced Materials, school of South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics at South China Normal University. He received his Ph.D. degree from South China University of Technology in 2015. He was a visiting researcher in Department of Material Science and Engineering at University of California, Berkeley during 2012–2015. His research interests focus on interface, domain, and strain engineering in multiferroics and room temperature electric field control of magnetism.

Xingsen Gao is a professor in Institute for Advanced Materials, the school of South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics at South China Normal University. He received his Ph.D. degree from National University of Singapore in 2004. He was Singapore Millennium Foundation Research Fellow and Humboldt Research Fellow before joining South China Normal University in late 2009. His research interests focus on topological domains and domain wall functionalities in ferroelectrics and multiferroics.

Jun-Ming Liu is a Professor of Physics with Department of Physics and Laboratory of Solid-State Microstructures, Nanjing University. He obtained his Ph.D. degree from Northwestern Polytechnical University in 1989 before joining the Department of Physics, Nanjing University. He specializes in correlated quantum materials and computational materials sciences. He has co-authored more than 600 technical papers in international referred journals.

Peer review under responsibility of The Chinese Ceramic Society.