Atomic force and scanning electron microscopic observations of surface and domain structures of BaTiO3 films and bulk crystals

Abstract

Tapping-mode atomic force and in situ scanning electron microscopic observations of surface and ferroelectric domain structures are performed, respectively, for BaTiO3 crystalline films grown on {100}SrTiO3 substrates by molecular beam epitaxy and for bulk crystals prepared by the top-seeded solution growth technique. Reconstructionlike structures of very long periods are found for the first time in both thin (20 nm) and thick (1000 nm) films. A dependence of the end size of pole-type 180° domains observed in films and bulk crystals on their thickness agrees with the relation expected theoretically.