449 research outputs found
Quantitative analysis of ferroelectric domain imaging with piezoresponse force microscopy
The contrast mechanism for ferroelectric domain imaging via piezoresponse
force microscopy (PFM) is investigated. A novel analysis of PFM measurements is
presented which takes into account the background caused by the experimental
setup. This allows, for the first time, a quantitative, frequency independent
analysis of the domain contrast which is in good agreement with the expected
values for the piezoelectric deformation of the sample and satisfies the
generally required features of PFM imaging
A stochastical model for periodic domain structuring in ferroelectric crystals
A stochastical description is applied in order to understand how
ferroelectric structures can be formed. The predictions are compared with
experimental data of the so-called electrical fixing: Domains are patterned in
photorefractive lithium niobate crystals by the combination of light-induced
space-charge fields with externally applied electrical fields. In terms of our
stochastical model the probability for domain nucleation is modulated according
to the sum of external and internal fields. The model describes the shape of
the domain pattern as well as the effective degree of modulation
Electrostatic topology of ferroelectric domains in YMnO
Trimerization-polarization domains in ferroelectric hexagonal YMnO were
resolved in all three spatial dimensions by piezoresponse force microscopy.
Their topology is dominated by electrostatic effects with a range of 100 unit
cells and reflects the unusual electrostatic origin of the spontaneous
polarization. The response of the domains to locally applied electric fields
explains difficulties in transferring YMnO into a single-domain state. Our
results demonstrate that the wealth of non-displacive mechanisms driving
ferroelectricity that emerged from the research on multiferroics are a rich
source of alternative types of domains and domain-switching phenomena
Contrast Mechanisms for the Detection of Ferroelectric Domains with Scanning Force Microscopy
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.Comment: 8 pages, 8 figure
Sol-Gel Derived Ferroelectric Nanoparticles Investigated by Piezoresponse Force Microscopy
Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) was used to investigate the
ferroelectric properties of sol-gel derived LiNbO nanoparticles. To
determine the degree of ferroelectricity we took large-area images and
performed statistical image-analysis. The ferroelectric behavior of single
nanoparticles was verified by poling experiments using the PFM tip. Finally we
carried out simultaneous measurements of the in-plane and the out-of-plane
piezoresponse of the nanoparticles, followed by measurements of the same area
after rotation of the sample by 90 and 180. Such
measurements basically allow to determine the direction of polarization of
every single particle
Impact of the tip radius on the lateral resolution in piezoresponse force microscopy
We present a quantitative investigation of the impact of tip radius as well
as sample type and thickness on the lateral resolution in piezoresponse force
microscopy (PFM) investigating bulk single crystals. The observed linear
dependence of the width of the domain wall on the tip radius as well as the
independence of the lateral resolution on the specific crystal-type are
validated by a simple theoretical model. Using a Ti-Pt-coated tip with a
nominal radius of 15 nm the so far highest lateral resolution in bulk crystals
of only 17 nm was obtained
Critical Casimir effect in classical binary liquid mixtures
If a fluctuating medium is confined, the ensuing perturbation of its
fluctuation spectrum generates Casimir-like effective forces acting on its
confining surfaces. Near a continuous phase transition of such a medium the
corresponding order parameter fluctuations occur on all length scales and
therefore close to the critical point this effect acquires a universal
character, i.e., to a large extent it is independent of the microscopic details
of the actual system. Accordingly it can be calculated theoretically by
studying suitable representative model systems.
We report on the direct measurement of critical Casimir forces by total
internal reflection microscopy (TIRM), with femto-Newton resolution. The
corresponding potentials are determined for individual colloidal particles
floating above a substrate under the action of the critical thermal noise in
the solvent medium, constituted by a binary liquid mixture of water and
2,6-lutidine near its lower consolute point. Depending on the relative
adsorption preferences of the colloid and substrate surfaces with respect to
the two components of the binary liquid mixture, we observe that, upon
approaching the critical point of the solvent, attractive or repulsive forces
emerge and supersede those prevailing away from it. Based on the knowledge of
the critical Casimir forces acting in film geometries within the Ising
universality class and with equal or opposing boundary conditions, we provide
the corresponding theoretical predictions for the sphere-planar wall geometry
of the experiment. The experimental data for the effective potential can be
interpreted consistently in terms of these predictions and a remarkable
quantitative agreement is observed.Comment: 30 pages, 17 figure
Precision nanoscale domain engineering of lithium niobate via UV laser induced inhibition of poling
Continuous wave ultraviolet (UV) laser irradiation at lambda=244 nm on the +z face of undoped and MgO doped congruent lithium niobate single crystals has been observed to inhibit ferroelectric domain inversion. The inhibition occurs directly beneath the illuminated regions, in a depth greater than 100 nm during subsequent electric field poling of the crystal. Domain inhibition was confirmed by both differential domain etching and piezoresponse force microscopy. This effect allows the formation of arbitrarily shaped domains in lithium niobate and forms the basis of a high spatial resolution micro-structuring approach when followed by chemical etching
Collective magnetism at multiferroic vortex domain walls
Topological defects have been playgrounds for many emergent phenomena in
complex matter such as superfluids, liquid crystals, and early universe.
Recently, vortex-like topological defects with six interlocked structural
antiphase and ferroelectric domains merging into a vortex core were revealed in
multiferroic hexagonal manganites. Numerous vortices are found to form an
intriguing self-organized network. Thus, it is imperative to find out the
magnetic nature of these vortices. Using cryogenic magnetic force microscopy,
we discovered unprecedented alternating net moments at domain walls around
vortices that can correlate over the entire vortex network in hexagonal ErMnO3
The collective nature of domain wall magnetism originates from the
uncompensated Er3+ moments and the correlated organization of the vortex
network. Furthermore, our proposed model indicates a fascinating phenomenon of
field-controllable spin chirality. Our results demonstrate a new route to
achieving magnetoelectric coupling at domain walls in single-phase
multiferroics, which may be harnessed for nanoscale multifunctional devices.Comment: 18 pages, 10 figure
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