Electrically driven motion, destruction, and chirality change of polar vortices in oxide superlattices

Topological polar vortices, which are electric analogs of magnetic objects, present great potential in applications of future nanoelectronics because of their nanometer size, anomalous dielectric response, and chirality. To enable the functionalities, it is prerequisite to manipulate the polar states and chirality by using external stimuli. Here, we probe the evolutions of polar state and chirality evolutions of topological polar vortices in PbTiO₃/SrTiO₃ superlattices under an electric field by using atomically resolved in situ scanning transmission electron microscopy and phase-field simulations. We find that, under electric field, the chiral vortex cores can be moved laterally to form close-pair structures, transform into a/c domain stripes, and finally become a nonchiral c-domain. Such transition is reversible and spontaneous after bias removal. Interestingly, during switching and back-switching events, the vortex rotation can be changed, offering a potential strategy to manipulate vortex chirality. The revealed dynamic behavior of individual polar vortices at the atomic scale provides fundamentals for future device applications.