Contrast Mechanisms for the Detection of Ferroelectric Domains with Scanning Force Microscopy

Abstract

We present a full analysis of the contrast mechanisms for the detection of ferroelectric domains on all faces of bulk single crystals using scanning force microscopy exemplified on hexagonally poled lithium niobate. The domain contrast can be attributed to three different mechanisms: i) the thickness change of the sample due to an out-of-plane piezoelectric response (standard piezoresponse force microscopy), ii) the lateral displacement of the sample surface due to an in-plane piezoresponse, and iii) the electrostatic tip-sample interaction at the domain boundaries caused by surface charges on the crystallographic y- and z-faces. A careful analysis of the movement of the cantilever with respect to its orientation relative to the crystallographic axes of the sample allows a clear attribution of the observed domain contrast to the driving forces respectively.

arXiv comment8 pages, 8 figures

References in corpus (7)

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• Depth Resolution of Piezoresponse Force Microscopy
• Ferroelectric nanodomains in epitaxial PbTiO3 films grown on SmScO3 and TbScO3 substrates
• Sol-Gel Derived Ferroelectric Nanoparticles Investigated by Piezoresponse Force Microscopy
• Lateral Signals in Piezoresponse Force Microscopy at Domain Boundaries of Ferroelectric Crystals
• Low-voltage nanodomain writing in He-implanted lithium niobate crystals