Imaging ferroelectric domains with a single-spin scanning quantum sensor

Abstract

The ability to sensitively image electric fields is important for understanding many nanoelectronic phenomena, including charge accumulation at surfaces1 and interfaces2 and field distributions in active electronic devices3. A particularly exciting application is the visualization of domain patterns in ferroelectric and nanoferroic materials4,5, owing to their potential in computing and data storage6–8. Here, we use a scanning nitrogen-vacancy (NV) microscope, well known for its use in magnetometry9, to image domain patterns in piezoelectric (Pb[Zr0.2Ti0.8]O3) and improper ferroelectric (YMnO3) materials through their electric fields. Electric field detection is enabled by measuring the Stark shift of the NV spin10,11 using a gradiometric detection scheme12. Analysis of the electric field maps allows us to discriminate between different types of surface charge distributions, as well as to reconstruct maps of the three-dimensional electric field vector and charge density. The ability to measure both stray electric and magnetic fields9,13 under ambient conditions opens opportunities for the study of multiferroic and multifunctional materials and devices8,14.

Multi-frequency composite pulse sequences for sensitivity enhancement in hexagonal boron nitride quantum sensor

“…© 2023 The Japan Society of Applied Physics Supplementary material for this article is available online C olor-center quantum sensors, such as nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamonds, provide a powerful technique in magnetic field sensing because their spin states can be readout and initialized optically. They have been used in various genres such as condensed matter physics, [1][2][3][4][5][6][7] biology 8,9) and geophysics. 10) Recently, a negatively charged boron vacancy ( -V B ) in hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) has emerged as a new member.…”

Modeling temperature-dependent population dynamics in the excited state of the nitrogen-vacancy center in diamond

“…1. We define the z axis by the unit vector along the symmetry axis of the NV center pointing from the nitrogen atom towards the vacancy site, and the x axis by one of the three in-plane vectors pointing from the vacancy to one of the carbon atoms [1,39]. The in-plane angles of the magnetic field φ B and the strain field φ δ are defined relative to this x axis in the xy plane.…”

Ptychographic Nanoscale Imaging of the Magnetoelectric Coupling in Freestanding BiFeO3

“…[18] Recently, ferroelectric domains have been observed by measuring the Stark shift of the NV spin with a resolution of ≈100 nm. [19] Yet, a high resolution imaging method sensitive to both ferroelectric and magnetic order in a single measurement is hitherto absent, despite being key for the study of multiferroics. The present study applies the synchrotron technique of soft X-ray ptychography [20][21][22][23] to accomplish this in a freestanding thin film of BFO.…”