# When Screening Current Controls Ferroelectric Switching: From Field-Limited to Current-Limited Regimes

Source: [When Screening Current Controls Ferroelectric Switching: From Field-Limited to Current-Limited Regimes](<https://www.sota2.com/research/paper/6a2106f9c10484bac23f06c9>)

Collection index: [llms.txt](<https://www.sota2.com/research/llms.txt>)

Data updated: 2026-08-01T05:00:13.650Z

Authors: Denis Alikin, Anastasya Meng, Michael Kosobokov, Semen Melnikov, Violetta Safina

Published: 2026-06-03T05:56:15.000Z

## Abstract

Tip-induced switching in ferroelectrics is commonly framed as a field-driven process controlled by domain-wall kinetics. Here we argue for a more universal viewpoint: under a scanning probe, polarization reversal is fundamentally constrained by how fast screening charge can be supplied and redistributed. By combining local switching experiments with finite-element simulations, we identify a screening-current-limited mechanism in which charge injection and its space-charge-limited relaxation set the pace of switching and the scaling of domain growth. This framework naturally explains regime changes and the apparent breakdown of intrinsic domain-wall laws often inferred in the nanoscale piezoelectric hysteresis measurements. Beyond a reinterpretation of tip switching, the results position screening currents as a hidden control parameter of ferroelectric reversal across materials, turning current regulation into a practical handle for deterministic nanoscale domain engineering.

## Recorded benchmark results

A research result applies to its stated dataset, split, metric and evaluation configuration. Compare like-for-like settings, preserve the metric's unit and direction, and distinguish paper-reported results from independent reproduction. The best result recorded here is not a claim of exhaustive, current global coverage.

## Original sources and implementation

[Original paper](<https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.04481>)

[PDF](<https://arxiv.org/pdf/2606.04481.pdf>)