Domain Dynamics in Piezoresponse Force Microscopy: Quantitative Deconvolution and Hysteresis Loop Fine Structure

Abstract

Domain dynamics in the Piezoresponse Force Spectroscopy (PFS) experiment is studied using the combination of local hysteresis loop acquisition with simultaneous domain imaging. The analytical theory for PFS signal from domain of arbitrary cross-section is developed and used for the analysis of experimental data on Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 polycrystalline films. The results suggest formation of oblate domain at early stage of the domain nucleation and growth, consistent with efficient screening of depolarization field within the material. The fine structure of the hysteresis loop is shown to be related to the observed jumps in the domain geometry during domain wall propagation (nanoscale Barkhausen jumps), indicative of strong domain-defect interactions.

17 pages, 3 figures, 2 Appendices, to be submmited to Appl. Phys. Lett

References in corpus (3)

• Domain wall roughness in epitaxial ferroelectric PbZr0.2Ti0.8O3 thin films
• Nanoscale piezoelectric response across a single antiparallel ferroelectric domain wall
• Piezoresponse Force Spectroscopy of Ferroelectric Materials

Cited by in corpus (5)

• Thermodynamics of nanodomain formation and breakdown in Scanning Probe Microscopy: Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire approach
• Hypothesis Learning in Automated Experiment: Application to Combinatorial Materials Libraries
• More ferroelectrics discovered by switching spectroscopy piezoresponse force microscopy?
• Landau-Ginzburg-Devonshire theory for electromechanical hysteresis loop formation in piezoresponse force microscopy of thin films
• The Primordial Helium Abundance