Disparity of secondary electron emission in ferroelectric domains of YMnO3

The applications of multiferroic materials require our understanding about the behaviors of domains with different polarization directions. Taking advantage of the scanning electron microscope, we investigate the polar surface of single crystal YMnO3 sample in secondary electron (SE) mode. By slowing down the scanning speed of electron beam, the negative surface potential of YMnO3 can be realized, and the domain contrast can be correspondingly changed. Under this experimental condition, with the help of a homemade Faraday cup, the difference of intrinsic SE emission coefficients of antiparallel domains is measured to be 0.12 and the downward polarization domains show a larger SE emission ability. Our results indicate that the total SE emission of this material can be altered by changing the ratio of the antiparallel domains, which provide an avenue for device design with this kind of materials. (C) 2015 AIP Publishing LLC.