Pinning effects of dislocations on vortex domain structure in ferroelectric nanodots

摘要

Effects of interfacial and internal dislocations on formation of vortex domain structure in ferroelectric nanodots have been investigated. Due to the highly inhomogeneous strain field near the dislocation core, dislocations are found to play important roles in vortex nucleation stage and can significantly affect vortex formation temperature. More importantly, the vortex core may be pinned by the dislocations, leading to a possible control of vortex domain pattern (e.g., vortices number and orientation) in the nanodots. This study should be very instructive for practical applications of ferroelectric vortex domain structure in systems where dislocations exist.