TITLE:
Surface Characterisation of a Ferroelectric Single Crystal by Kelvin Probe Force Microscopy
AUTHORS:
Kenny Lau, Yun Liu, Qian Li, Zhenrong Li, Ray L. Withers, Zhuo Xu
KEYWORDS:
Surface Potential; KPFM; Ferroelectric
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Surface Engineered Materials and Advanced Technology,
Vol.3 No.3,
July
10,
2013
ABSTRACT: We investigated the surface potential
dynamics of a ferroelectric Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-PbTiO3 (PIMNT) single crystal using Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). The initial
surface potential is a function of the applied bias since it reflects the interplay
between the polarisation and screen charges. It is suggested that the different
rates of tip injected charges are responsible for the asymmetric behaviour of the initial surface potential
dependent on the sign of the applied bias. The polarisation, screen and tip
injected charges are considered to explain the difference in surface potential
dynamics.