Stability of 71{\deg} stripe domains in epitaxial BiFeO3 films upon repeated electrical switching

Abstract

The 71{\deg} stripe domain patterns of epitaxial BiFeO3 thin films are frequently being explored to achieve new functional properties, dissimilar from the BiFeO3 bulk properties. We show that in-plane switching and out-of-plane switching of these domains behave very differently. In the in-plane configuration the domains are very stable, whereas in the out-of-plane configuration the domains change their size and patterns, depending on the applied switching voltage frequency. This paper has been published in Phys. Status Solidi B (http://dx.doi.org/10.1002/pssb.201248329)