Domain nucleation and hysteresis loop shape in piezoresponse force spectroscopy

Vector piezoresponse force microscopy.

A novel approach for nanoscale imaging and characterization of the orientation dependence of electromechanical properties-vector piezoresponse force microscopy (Vector PFM)-is described. The relationship between local electromechanical response, polarization, piezoelectric constants, and crystallographic orientation is analyzed in detail. The image formation mechanism in vector PFM is discussed...

Ferroelectric Domain Imaging Multiferroic Films Using Piezoresponse Force Microscopy

Recently, multiferroic materials with the magnetoelectric coupling of ferroelectric (or anti‐ ferroelectric) properties and ferromagnetic (or antiferromagnetic) properties have attracted a lot of attention.[1-4] Among them, BiFeO3(BFO) and YMnO3has been intensively studied. For such ABO3perovskite structured ferroelectric materials, they usually show antiferromag‐ netic order because the same B...

Piezoresponse force microscopy and recent

Electrostatic-free piezoresponse force microscopy

Contact and non-contact based atomic force microscopy (AFM) approaches have been extensively utilized to explore various nanoscale surface properties. In most AFM-based measurements, a concurrent electrostatic effect between the AFM tip/cantilever and sample surface can occur. This electrostatic effect often hinders accurate measurements. Thus, it is very important to quantify as well as remove...

A measurement of the hysteresis loop in force-spectroscopy curves using a tuning-fork atomic force microscope

Measurements of the frequency shift versus distance in noncontact atomic force microscopy (NC-AFM) allow measurements of the force gradient between the oscillating tip and a surface (force-spectroscopy measurements). When nonconservative forces act between the tip apex and the surface the oscillation amplitude is damped. The dissipation is caused by bistabilities in the potential energy surface...