Observation of ferroelectric domain boundaries in BaTiO3 with REM

Abstract

The earlier work of transmission electron microscopy(TEM) on ferroelectric domains have been concentrated on the studies of domain configurations and contrast theory, Scanning electron microscopy(SEM) is also used to study ferroelectric material surfaces and has revealed various domain boundaries on the chemical-etched surface of BaTiO3. However, the method is destructive and largely dependent on the etching technique. Reflection electron microscopy (REM) has recently been developed to study crystal surfaces, especially the surface defects such as surface steps and emerging dislocations. This paper presents the observation of 90° domain boundaries in BaTiO3 single crystal with REM and concentrates on the contrast of 90° domain boundaries.