Imaging and Control of Domain Structures in Ferroelectric Thin Films via Scanning Force Microscopy1
نویسندگان
چکیده
Scanning force microscopy (SFM) is becoming a powerful technique with great potential both for imaging and for control of domain structures in ferroelectric materials at the nanometer scale. Application of SFM to visualization of domain structures in ferroelectric thin films is described. Imaging methods of ferroelectric domains are based on the detection of surface charges in the noncontact mode of SFM and on the measurement of the piezoelectric response of a ferroelectric film to an external field applied by the tip in the SFM contact mode. This latter mode can be used for nondestructive evaluation of local ferroelectric and piezoelectric 1The US Government has the right to retain a nonexclusive, royalty-free license in and to any copyright covering this paper.
منابع مشابه
Frontiers of Ferroelectricity
Three kinds of near-field microscopy imaging mode including SEAM (Scanning electron acoustic microscopy), PFM (Piezoresponse force microscopy) and SPAM (Scanning probe acoustic microscopy) have been developed to investigate domain structures of ferroelectric ceramics, crystals and thin films in our studies. The domain imaging mechanisms are presented individually in three imaging modes. Sub-sur...
متن کاملA Review of Domain Modelling and Domain Imaging Techniques in Ferroelectric Crystals
The present paper reviews models of domain structure in ferroelectric crystals, thin films and bulk materials. Common crystal structures in ferroelectric materials are described and the theory of compatible domain patterns is introduced. Applications to multi-rank laminates are presented. Alternative models employing phase-field and related techniques are reviewed. The paper then presents metho...
متن کاملCharacterization and Control of Domain Structure in SrBi2Ta2O9 Thin Films by Scanning Force Microscopy
We used the piezoresponse mode of scanning force microscopy (SFM) to perform the first nanoscale observation of ferroelectric domain structure in as-grown SrBi2Ta2O9 films. By lowering the loading force down to approximately 1 nN and by keeping the imaging voltage just below the coercive voltage, we managed to obtain a sufficiently high contrast between opposite 180◦ domains without affecting t...
متن کاملNanoscale imaging of domain dynamics and retention in ferroelectric thin films
We report results on the direct observation of the microscopic origins of backswitching in ferroelectric thin films. The piezoelectric response generated in the film by a biased atomic force microscope tip was used to obtain static and dynamic piezoelectric images of individual grains in a polycrystalline material. We demonstrate that polarization reversal occurs under no external field ~i.e., ...
متن کاملControlled creation and displacement of charged domain walls in ferroelectric thin films
Charged domain walls in ferroelectric materials are of high interest due to their potential use in nanoelectronic devices. While previous approaches have utilized complex scanning probe techniques or frustrative poling here we show the creation of charged domain walls in ferroelectric thin films during simple polarization switching using either a conductive probe tip or patterned top electrodes...
متن کامل