Abstract
Hexagonal orthoferrites have recently attracted much attention as possible high-temperature ferromagnetic ferroelectrics. The ferroelectric domain structure of hexagonal RMnO3, their antiferromagnetic structural analogies, has recently shown an atypical and complicated behavior. Hexagonal RFeO3 are expected to exhibit similar domain structure that should coexist with weak ferromagnetic order and may represent a material with a unusual magnetoelectric interaction. In this report, we discuss microscopic ferroelectric domain structure of hexagonal orthoferrites in a thin-film state and demonstrate a distinct and unusual improper ferroelectric behavior of these oxide materials. (C) 2013 AIP Publishing LLC.