Atomic-Scale Visualization of Polar Domain Boundaries in Ferroelectric In2Se3 at the Monolayer Limit.

Abstract

Domain boundaries in ferroelectric materials exhibit rich and diverse physical properties distinct from their parent materials and have been proposed for broad applications in nanoelectronics and quantum information technology. Due to their complexity and diversity, the internal atomic and electronic structure of domain boundaries that governs the electronic properties remains far from being elucidated. By using scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/S) combined with density functional theory (DFT) calculations, we directly visualize the atomic structure of polar domain boundaries in two-dimensional (2D) ferroelectric β'-In2Se3 down to the monolayer limit. We observe a double-barrier energy potential with a width of about 3 nm across the 60° tail-to-tail domain boundaries in monolayer β'-In2Se3. The results will deepen our understanding of domain boundaries in 2D ferroelectric materials and stimulate innovative applications of these materials.