Ultrafast Photovoltaic Response in Ferroelectric Nanolayers

TY - JOUR

T1 - Ultrafast Photovoltaic Response in Ferroelectric Nanolayers

AU - Daranciang, D.

AU - Highland, M.J.

AU - Wen, H.

AU - Young, S.M.

AU - Brandt, N.C.

AU - Hwang, H.Y.

AU - Vattilana, M.

AU - Quirin, F.

AU - Goodfellow, J.

AU - Qi, T.

AU - Grinberg, I.

AU - Lemke, Henrik Till

PY - 2012/2/23

Y1 - 2012/2/23

N2 - We show that light drives large-amplitude structural changes in thin films of the prototypical ferroelectric PbTiO 3 via direct coupling to its intrinsic photovoltaic response. Using time-resolved x-ray scattering to visualize atomic displacements on femtosecond time scales, photoinduced changes in the unit-cell tetragonality are observed. These are driven by the motion of photogenerated free charges within the ferroelectric and can be simply explained by a model including both shift and screening currents, associated with the displacement of electrons first antiparallel to and then parallel to the ferroelectric polarization direction.

AB - We show that light drives large-amplitude structural changes in thin films of the prototypical ferroelectric PbTiO 3 via direct coupling to its intrinsic photovoltaic response. Using time-resolved x-ray scattering to visualize atomic displacements on femtosecond time scales, photoinduced changes in the unit-cell tetragonality are observed. These are driven by the motion of photogenerated free charges within the ferroelectric and can be simply explained by a model including both shift and screening currents, associated with the displacement of electrons first antiparallel to and then parallel to the ferroelectric polarization direction.

U2 - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.087601

DO - 10.1103/PhysRevLett.108.087601

M3 - Journal article

C2 - 22463572

SN - 0031-9007

VL - 108

SP - 087601

JO - Physical Review Letters

JF - Physical Review Letters

IS - 8

ER -