Tip-induced domain growth in the non-polar cuts of SBN:Ce single crystals

Abstract

The local switching by conductive tip of scanning probe microscope was studied in the non-polar cuts of Ce-doped Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6 single crystals after creation of the single-domain state. The switched domains possessed the egg-shaped heads and wedge-like tails. The dependences of lengths of the domain head and tail and width of the domain head on the voltage and pulse duration were derived. The start voltage for growth of the domain tail was revealed. The fast relaxation of the domain head and slow relaxation of the domain tail were observed. The model of the forward domain growth by step generation and kink motion was used for explanation of the experimental results. The obtained knowledge can be used for the domain engineering in ferroelectrics. © Published under licence by IOP Publishing Ltd.