FERROIX

The "ferroix" group focuses on fundamental and functional properties of so-called "ferroic" materials (i.e., ferroelectrics, ferro-/antiferro-/ferrimagnetics, ferroelastics, or multiferroics) and of complex oxides (i.e. perovskite oxides) in general. For that purpose a variety of experimental techniques is frequently applied:

• piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM),
• conductive atomic force microscopy (c-AFM),
• Cherenkov second-harmonic generation (CSHG) microscopy,
• current-voltage spectroscopy (with/without optical excitation),
• Hall-effect measurements.

Among others, the ferroix group works on the following topics:

The ferroelectric model system lithium niobate (LiNbO₃, LNO)

• visualisation of the domain- and domain wall structure
• comprehensive analysis of the domain wall conductivity and its tunability
• investigation of the influence of doping on the functional properties
• comparison to other ferroelectric systems, such as
  barium titanate (BaTiO₃, BTO),
  lithium tantalate (LiTaO₃, LTO),
  mixed lithium niobate/tantalate systems (LNT)

Tuning of the ferroic properties by external mechanical stress

• ferroelectric-hysteresis measurements under stress induced by a bending stage (experiments on the model systems bismuth ferrite and lithium niobate)

Members
Topics for theses
Link research projects of the chair