Thermally Configurable Multi-Order Polar Skyrmions in Multiferroic Oxide Superlattices

Abstract: Polar topological textures in low-dimensional ferroelectrics have emerged as a versatile platform for high-density information storage and neuromorphic computing. While low-order topological states, such as vortices and skyrmions, have been extensively studied, high-order polar topological families remain largely unexplored due to their higher energy requirements and limited stabilization methods. Here, using a BiFeO3 (BFO)-based multiferroic superlattice as a model system, we demonstrate a thermal-modulation strategy that stabilizes multi-order polar skyrmions and enables reversible tuning of their topological order through phase-field simulations. It was found that temperature modulation drives the system from polar solitons through 1π-, 2π-, 3π-, and 4π-skyrmion states, with closed heating-cooling path analyses revealing the widest thermal stability window for 2π-skyrmions (up to 600 K). Leveraging this robustness, 2% Sm doping in BFO lowers the transition temperatures, enabling room-temperature stabilization of 2π-skyrmions. These findings enrich the fundamental understanding of multi-order polar topologies and establish a tunable strategy for realizing variable-order topological configurations in practical memory devices.