Creating polar antivortex in PbTiO3/SrTiO3 superlattice

Nontrivial topological structures offer a rich playground in condensed matters and promise alternative device configurations for post-Moore electronics. While recently a number of polar topologies have been discovered in confined ferroelectric PbTiO3 within artificially engineered PbTiO3/SrTiO3 superlattices, little attention was paid to possible topological polar structures in SrTiO3. Here we successfully create previously unrealized polar antivortices within the SrTiO3 of PbTiO3/SrTiO3 superlattices, accomplished by carefully engineering their thicknesses guided by phase-field simulation. Field- and thermal-induced Kosterlitz-Thouless-like topological phase transitions have also been demonstrated, and it was discovered that the driving force for antivortex formation is electrostatic instead of elastic. This work completes an important missing link in polar topologies, expands the reaches of topological structures, and offers insight into searching and manipulating polar textures. While the role of PbTiO3 in PbTiO3/SrTiO3 superlattices has been widely studied, little attention is paid to possible polar topologies in SrTiO3. Here, the authors create atomic-scale vortex-antivortex pairs in the superlattices, expanding the understanding of topological structures.

Automated summary

This study successfully uncovered previously unrecognized polar antivortices in SrTiO3 within PbTiO3/SrTiO3 superlattices, expanding the understanding of topological structures. It was revealed that the driving force for antivortex formation is electrostatic rather than elastic, demonstrating potentially significant implications for the manipulation of polar textures.