Barkhausen noise analysis of thin film ferroelectrics

The first direct Barkhausen noise measurement in a ferroelectric thin film is presented. The Barkhausen noise energy loop is reconstructed from the measured Barkhausen noise and is closely related to the classic ferroelectric P vs E hysteresis loop. Grain boundaries act as a dominant ferroelectric domain wall pinning site in a polycrystalline thin film based on the calculated domain wall jump distance using the Barkhausen noise frequency. The technique is promising for the measurement of ferroelectric switching dynamics, and provides a physical insight for improving application performance.