Berkeley Lab team switches horizontal polarization in a ferroelectric film with vertical voltage
Opposite vertical voltages applied to two regions of a Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ film reversed its horizontal polarization, a result that could inform low-voltage memory designs.
Event / data period: 2026-10-15
Published: · Updated:
Researchers at Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory’s Advanced Light Source reported that vertical voltage can reverse horizontal polarization in a thin film of ferroelectric Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂. In the study described October 15, the team applied +15 volts and −15 volts to separate rectangular regions on the film and mapped polarization with X-ray linear dichroism photoemission electron microscopy.
The imaging showed that changing the voltage direction also reversed the horizontal polarization. The transverse switching approach could make it possible to pair the stability of in-plane polarization in thin films with vertical-voltage control. The researchers describe it as a potential route to more stable, low-voltage memory and computing designs; the study did not demonstrate a commercial memory device or measure energy savings.
Data
Polarization-switching experiment in a ferroelectric film
Study summary published by Berkeley Lab on October 15, 2026.
- · Occurred
Transverse polarization switching reported in Bi₄Ti₃O₁₂ film
Researchers used X-ray imaging to observe horizontal polarization reversing in film regions treated with oppositely directed vertical voltages.
Methodology
The event entry summarizes the research result and release date reported by the source; potential memory applications are not a product outcome.
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