Microwave AC conductivity of domain walls

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10160645-B2
Application number	US-201615285332-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 4, 2016
Priority date	Oct 6, 2015
Publication date	Dec 25, 2018
Grant date	Dec 25, 2018

Abstract

Microwave AC conductivity may be improved or tuned in a material, for example, a dielectric or semiconductor material, by manipulating domain wall morphology in the material. Domain walls may be created, erased or reconfigured to control the AC conductivity, for example, for crafting circuit elements. The density and placement of domain walls may increase or decrease the AC conductivity and may control AC conduction pathways through the material. An electric potential applied to the material's surface may create a desired pattern of domain walls to meet desired AC conductivity criteria. Incline angle of the domain walls may be modified relative to a crystallographic axis of the material to temporarily or permanently modify or gate AC conductivity of the material. For example, the AC conductivity of the material may be gated by domain wall incline angle to increase, decrease or throttle current flowing through the material for an electronic circuit element.

First claim

We claim:

1. A method for configuring a microwave-frequency (microwave)
alternating current (AC) conductive material, the method comprising:
in a material comprising a dielectric or semiconducting region, configuring microwave AC conduction paths through the material by manipulating domain wall morphology within the dielectric or semiconducting region to control microwave AC conductivity of the material; and
the manipulating domain wall morphology within the material includes modifying an incline angle of the domain wall relative to a crystallographic axis of the material by applying an electric field across a dielectric or semiconducting volume of the material, wherein:
the incline angle of the domain wall is temporarily modified by application of the electric field and the microwave AC conductivity of the domain wall is temporarily gated by the temporarily modified incline angle of the domain wall; or
the incline angle of the domain wall is modified and held in a stable state by the application of the electric field and the microwave AC conductivity of the material is reconfigured and held in a stable state by the modified incline angle of the domain wall.

2. The method for configuring a microwave AC conductive material of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
increasing or decreasing microwave AC conductivity of the material using the manipulation of the domain wall morphology within the dielectric or semiconducting region.

3. The method for configuring a microwave AC conductive material of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
forming microwave AC pathways through the dielectric or semiconducting region using the manipulation of the domain wall morphology within the dielectric or semiconducting region.

4. The method for configuring a microwave AC conductive material of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
manipulating the domain wall morphology within the dielectric or semiconducting region for controlling the microwave AC conductivity in the material by creating new domain walls, erasing domain walls or reconfiguring domain walls.

5. The method for configuring a microwave AC conductive material of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
modifying the density and placement of the domain walls within the dielectric or semiconducting material to control the microwave AC conductivity of the material.

6. The method for configuring a microwave AC conductive material of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
controlling the microwave AC conductivity of the material and the manipulating domain wall morphology within the dielectric or semiconducting region by applying the electric field at one or more positions on a surface of the material and creating a pattern of domain walls for controlling the microwave AC conductivity of the material to meet microwave AC conductivity criteria.

7. The method for configuring a microwave AC conductive material of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
annealing the material and further manipulating the domain wall morphology to control the microwave AC conductivity of the material.

8. The method for configuring a microwave AC conductive material of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
the manipulating the domain wall morphology within the dielectric or semiconducting region by applying the electric field on a surface of the dielectric or semiconducting region using a cantilever tip or any other electrode, wherein the material is a thin film comprising ferroelectric domains and the dielectric or semiconducting region is a ferroelectric domain.

9. The method for configuring a microwave AC conductive material of claim 1 , the method further comprising:
transmitting a microwave AC signal in the material and overcoming contact resistance after manipulating the domain wall morphology within the dielectric or semiconducting region to control the microwave AC conductivity of the material.

10. An article of manufacture, the article of manufacture comprising:
an microwave-frequency (microwave) alternating current (AC) conductive material comprising a dielectric or semiconducting region, the microwave AC conductive material comprising microwave AC conduction paths that are configured by manipulating domain wall morphology within the dielectric or semiconducting region to control the microwave AC conductivity of the microwave AC conductive material;
wherein the domain wall morphology within the material is manipulated by modifying the incline angle of the domain wall relative to a crystallographic axis of the material, by applying an electric field across the material, and wherein:
the incline angle of the domain wall is temporarily modified by application of the electric field and the microwave AC conductivity of the domain wall is temporarily gated by the temporarily modified incline angle of the domain wall; or
the incline angle of the domain wall is modified and held in a stable state by the application of the electric field and the microwave AC conductivity of the material is reconfigured and held in a stable state by the modified incline angle of the domain wall.

11. The article of manufacture of claim 10 , wherein transmission of an microwave AC signal in the material after manipulating the domain wall morphology within the dielectric or semiconducting region to control the microwave AC conductivity of the microwave AC conductive material overcomes contact resistance in the material.

12. The article of manufacture of claim 10 , wherein the microwave AC conductivity of the microwave AC conductive material is increased or decreased by the manipulation of the domain wall morphology within the dielectric or semiconducting region.

13. The article of manufacture of claim 10 , further comprising microwave AC current pathways through the dielectric or semiconducting region that are formed by the manipulation of the domain wall morphology within the dielectric or semiconducting region.

14. The article of manufacture of claim 10 , wherein the domain wall morphology within the dielectric or semiconducting region is manipulated for controlling the microwave AC conductivity of the material by creating new domain walls, erasing domain walls or reconfiguring domain walls.

15. The article of manufacture of claim 10 , wherein the density and placement of the domain wall within the dielectric or semiconductor is modified to control the microwave AC conductivity of the material.

16. The article of manufacture of claim 10 , wherein the microwave AC conductivity of the material and the domain wall morphology within the dielectric or semiconducting region are manipulated by applying the electric field at one or more positions on a surface of the material and creating a pattern of domain walls to meet microwave AC conductivity criteria.

17. The article of manufacture of claim 10 , wherein the microwave AC conductive material is a thin film comprising ferroelectric domains, the dielectric or semiconducting region is a ferroelectric domain and the domain wall morphology within the dielectric or semiconducting region is manipulated by applying the electric field on a surface of the dielectric or semiconducting region using a cantilever tip.

18. A system for configuring a microwave-frequency (microwave) alternating current (AC) conductive material, the system comprising:
a material comprising a dielectric or semiconducting region coupled to an electrode;
an electrode that applies an electric field across the material to manipulate domain wall morphology within the dielectric or semiconducting region and configure microwa

Assignees

• Ut Battelle Llc
• Univ Tennessee Res Found

Inventors

• Maksymovych Petro
• Tselev Alexander
• Kalinin Sergei V

Classifications

• G11C11/2275

  Writing or programming circuits or methods · CPC title

• G11B9/02 Primary

  using ferroelectric record carriers; Record carriers therefor · CPC title

• B82Y25/00 Primary

  Nanomagnetism, e.g. magnetoimpedance, anisotropic magnetoresistance, giant magnetoresistance or tunneling magnetoresistance · CPC title

• H03L5/00 Primary

  Automatic control of voltage, current, or power · CPC title