Self-assembled Ferroelectric Nano-array.

Self-assembled heteroepitaxial nanostructures have played an important role for miniaturization of electronic devices, e.g. the ultrahigh density ferroelectric memories, and cause for great concern. Our first principle calculations predict that the materials with low interface formation energy tend to form matrix structure in self-assembled heteroepitaxial nanostructures, while those with high interface formation energy form nanopillars. Under the guidance of the theoretical modeling, perovskite BiFeO3 (BFO) nanopillars are swimmingly grown into CeO2 matrix on single-crystal (001)-SrTiO3 substrates by PLD, where CeO2 has a lower formation energy of the interface (Ef) than BFO. This work provides a good paradigm for controlling self-assembled nanostructures as well as the application of self-assembled ferroelectric nanoscale memory.