Kramers' escape problem for white noise driven switching in ferroelectrics

Abstract

A simulation-based study of stochastic resonance (SR) in a ferroelectric capacitor is presented. The SR phenomenon involves the detection of weak signals by adding an optimal amount noise to a non-linear system. This is linked with Kramers' escape problem, which deals with the escape of a particle undergoing Brownian motion over an energy barrier. The position of the particle is analogous to the polarisation dynamics of a ferroelectric. Within this framework, we numerically investigate SR in single domain ferroelectrics using the Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire (LGD) theory. In addition, we use a model for multidomain ferroelectrics to demonstrate feasibility in real world applications. Our results show that SR in ferroelectrics is promising for the purpose of weak signal detection, given that these materials are widely used for various applications in the semiconductor industry.