Imaging three-dimensional polarization in epitaxial polydomain ferroelectric thin films

Voltage-modulated scanning force microscopy (Piezoresponse microscopy) is applied to investigate the domain structure in epitaxial PbZr 0.2Ti 0.8O 3 ferroelectric thin films grown on (001) SrTiO 3. By monitoring the vertical and lateral differential signals from the photodetector of the atomic force microscope it is possible to separate out and observe the out-of-plane and in-plane polarization vectors in the thin film individually. The relative orientation of the polarization vectors across a 90° domain wall is observed. Nucleation of new reversed 180° domains at the 90° domain wall is studied and its impact on the rotation of polarization within the a domain is analyzed as a function of reversal time. © 2002 American Institute of Physics.