Negative capacitors in action!

Thanks to SCALE-UP, we were able to simulate superlattices combining ferroelectric PbTiO₃ and dielectric SrTiO₃ layers, and access the temperature range in which the ferroelectric (which is in a frustrated multi-domain state) presents an anomalous (negative!) dielectric permittivity. This surprising effect could be a first step towards the development of low-consumption electronic devices. Our work also led us to discover an incredible “domain melting” state in which domain wall motion is spontaneously activated!

• Negative capacitance in multidomain ferroelectric superlattices, Pavlo Zubko, Jacek C. Wojdeł, Marios Hadjimichael, Stéphanie Fernandez-Pena, Anaïs Sené, Igor Luk’yanchuk, Jean-Marc Triscone and Jorge Íñiguez, Nature 534, 524 (2016).