High-Throughput Scanning Second Harmonic Generation Microscopy for Polar Materials.

Abstract

The Materials Genome Initiative aims to discover, develop, manufacture, and deploy advanced materials at twice the speed of conventional approaches. To achieve this, high-throughput characterization is essential for the rapid screening of candidate materials. In this study, we developed a high-throughput scanning second harmonic generation (HTS-SHG) microscope with automatic partitioning, accurate positioning, and fast scanning that can rapidly probe and screen polar materials. Using this technique, we first investigated typical ferroelectrics, including periodically poled lithium niobate crystals and PbZr0.2 Ti0.8 O3 (PZT) thin films, whereby the microscopic domain structures were clearly revealed. We then applied this technique to a compositional-gradient (100-x)%BaTiO3 -x%SrTiO3 film and a thickness-gradient PZT film to demonstrate its high-throughput capabilities. Since SHG signal is correlated with the macroscopic remnant polarization over the probed region determined by the laser spot, it is free of artifacts arising from leakage current and electrostatic interference, while materials symmetries and domain structures must be carefully considered in the data analysis. We believe this work can help promote the high-throughput development of polar materials, and contribute to Materials Genome Initiative. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.