Realization of sextuple polarization states and interstate switching in antiferroelectric CuInP2S6

Abstract

Realization of higher-order multistates with mutual interstate switching in ferroelectric materials is a perpetual drive for high-density storage devices and beyond-Moore technologies. Here we demonstrate experimentally that antiferroelectric van der Waals CuInP₂S₆ films can be controllably stabilized into double, quadruple, and sextuple polarization states, and a system harboring polarization order of six is also reversibly tunable into order of four or two. Furthermore, for a given polarization order, mutual interstate switching can be achieved via moderate electric field modulation. First-principles studies of CuInP₂S₆ multilayers help to reveal that the double, quadruple, and sextuple states are attributable to the existence of respective single, double, and triple ferroelectric domains with antiferroelectric interdomain coupling and Cu ion migration. These findings offer appealing platforms for developing multistate ferroelectric devices, while the underlining mechanism is transformative to other non-volatile material systems.

Materials with higher-order multistates are desired for non-Boolean high-density storage. Here the authors realized sextuple intrinsic polarization states in vdW CuInP₂S₆, and reversible transformation among sextuple-, quadruple-, and double-polarization orders.