Berlin 2024 – scientific programme

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TUT: Tutorien

TUT 3: Exploring Ferroic Materials: From Modelling to Imaging Techniques (joint session KFM/TUT)

TUT 3.2: Tutorial

Sunday, March 17, 2024, 16:30–17:00, H 1028

Nanoscale ferroelectricity: insights from optical second harmonic generation — •Nives Strkalj — Institute of Physics, Zagreb

Ferroelectric materials are a promising platform for energy-efficient electronic and optical devices. In thin films, relevant for applications, ferroelectricity is highly susceptible to the influence of interfaces through electrostatic and elastic boundary conditions. A large surface-to-volume ratio at the nanoscale thus leads to dramatic changes in polarization direction, magnitude, and domain configuration. However, evaluating ferroelectricity in thin films remains a challenge for conventional techniques because of significant non-ferroelectric contributions. A highly sensitive optical method, second harmonic generation (SHG), can be used to detect polarization in thin films. SHG has thus become an invaluable tool for studying size effects in nanoscale ferroelectrics.

In my talk, I will give an introduction to ferroelectricity, ferroelectric size effects, and approaches to tuning polarization in nanoscale films. I will present insights from SHG into the emergence and evolution of ferroelectricity in thin films. Finally, I will address the use of SHG for tracking polarization during the growth process - in situ - to access transient effects. I will conclude by showing examples of harnessing findings from SHG to engineer desired ferroelectric responses for specific applications.

Keywords: ferroelectricity; nanoscale; thin films; optical second harmonic generation; oxide heterostructures