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Ferroelectricity in the multiferroic hexagonal manganites

Nature Physics volume 11, pages 1070–1073 (2015)Cite this article

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Abstract

Since their discovery in 1963 the hexagonal manganites have consolidated their role as exotic ferroelectrics with astonishing functionalities. Their introduction as room-temperature device ferroelectrics was followed by observations of giant flexoelectricity, multiferroicity with magnetoelectric domain and domain-wall coupling, protected vortex domain structures, topological domain-scaling behaviour and domain walls with tunable conductance and magnetism. Even after half a century, however, the emergence of the ferroelectric state has remained the subject of fierce debate. We resolve the interplay of electric polarization, topological trimerization and temperature by direct access to the polarization for temperatures up to 1,400 K. Nonlinear optical experiments and piezoresponse force microscopy, complemented by Monte Carlo simulations, reveal a single phase transition with ferroelectricity determined by topology rather than electrostatics. Fundamental properties of the hexagonal manganites, including an explanation for the two-phase-transition controversy as a finite-size scaling effect, are derived from this and highlight why improper ferroelectrics are an inherent source of novel functionalities.

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Figure 1: Direct probing of the spontaneous polarization by optical SHG.
Figure 2: Effect of annealing on the ferroelectric domain structure.
Figure 3: Monte Carlo simulation of the ferroelectric phase transition in YMnO3.
Figure 4: Emergence of ferroelectric domains in YMnO3.

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Acknowledgements

This work was supported by the ETH Research Grant No. ETH-06 12-2. The authors thank N. A. Spaldin for enlightening discussions.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Materials, ETH Zürich, Vladimir-Prelog-Weg 4, 8093 Zurich, Switzerland,

    Martin Lilienblum, Thomas Lottermoser, Sebastian Manz & Manfred Fiebig

  2. Department of Materials Science and Engineering, NTNU, 7491 Trondheim, Norway

    Sverre M. Selbach

  3. CNRS, Université de Bordeaux, ICMCB, UPR 9048, 33600 Pessac, France

    Andres Cano

Authors
  1. Martin Lilienblum
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  2. Thomas Lottermoser
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  3. Sebastian Manz
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Contributions

M.L. performed the SHG and PFM experiments, T.L. performed the Monte Carlo simulations and S.M. performed the pyrocurrent measurements. S.M.S. performed the dilatometry measurements. A.C. contributed to the discussion and analysis. M.F. supervised the work.

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Correspondence to Martin Lilienblum.

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Lilienblum, M., Lottermoser, T., Manz, S. et al. Ferroelectricity in the multiferroic hexagonal manganites. Nature Phys 11, 1070–1073 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys3468

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