Visualization of Antiferroelectric Domains of PbZrO₃

Sheng-Zhu Ho^1*, Xin-Hong Lin¹, Pao-Wen Shao², Ying-Hao Chu², Yi-Chun Chen¹

¹Physics, National Cheng Kung University, Tainan, Taiwan
²Material Science, National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, Taiwan

* Presenter:Sheng-Zhu Ho, email:bambooho0905@gmail.com

Antiferroelectric (AFE) ceramics, which possess high energy density and high efficiency, show great promise in energy-storage applications. The functional signature of such materials can be revealed from the tristable polarization-electric field hysteresis loops. Although with the importance of determining the AFE orderings, AFE domains are rarely studied. Because AFE domain structures can’t be observed by traditional piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) due to their zero remnant polarization. Here, we investigate the local electromechanical properties of PbZrO₃ (PZO) epitaxial thin film grown on SrTiO₃ with three distinct orientations through switching spectroscopy piezoresponse force microscopy (SSPFM) techniques. The AFE double hysteresis characteristic behaviors are collected through the on-field section, while the oxygen vacancy induced nonvolatile hysteresis behaviors are also observed from the off-field section. Moreover, combining lateral-SSPFM techniques and principal component analysis (PCA), a new technique to classify the spatial distribution of AFE domains is developed. This approach enables the direct visualization of AFE domain structures and can be used to differentiate between the polar AFE phase and the electrically induced vacancy characteristics.

Keywords: antiferroelectricity, switching spectroscopy piezoresponse force microscopy, principal component analysis