Initiation of a polarized state in thin lithium niobate films synthesized on isolated silicon substrates

Abstract

The distributions of induced state and surface potential in thin lithium niobate films obtained via the deposition onto a (100)-oriented Si-oxidized substrate by the method of high-frequency magnetron sputtering were mapped using piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). Using an electrical field applied with a conducting cantilever, the possibility of the formation of an induced polarization state and of its subsequent visualization was shown. The induced state in KPFM measurements was shown to be retained for a much longer time than for PFM.