Domain wall stability in ferroelectrics with space charges

Significant effect of semiconductor properties on domain configurations in ferroelectrics is demonstrated, especially in the case of doped materials. Phase field simulations are performed for ferroelectrics with space charges due to donors and electronic charge carriers. The free charges introduced thereby can act as a source for charge compensation at domain walls with uncompensated polarization bound charges. Results indicate that the equilibrium position of a domain wall with respect to its rotation in a head-to-head or a tail-to-tail domain configuration depends on the charge defect concentration and the Fermi level position.