Detection and control of ferroelectric domains by an electrostatic force microscope

An electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) method has been used for the detection and control of the microdomain in ferroelectric single crystal [triglycine sulfate (TGS)] and thin film piezoelectric transducer (PZT). In this method, EFM is operated in a dynamic contact mode that allows a simultaneous measurement of the topographic and domain contrast images. Through the analysis of the force between the tip and ferroelectric surface, the surface charge density of TGS single crystal is obtained. Polarization charge density of TGS obtained in this method is 2.7 mu C/cm(2) at room temperature. A complex pattern was written on a PZT film by the polarization reversal. The line shape or the intensity of the reoriented domain does not show any noticeable dependence on the writing speed. The threshold bias for writing on a PZT film studied in this work was 4 V. (C) 1998 American Vacuum Society. [S0734-211X(98)19706-8].