Effect of the intrinsic width on the piezoelectric force microscopy of a single ferroelectric domain wall

Abstract

Intrinsic domain wall width is a fundamental parameter that reflects bulk ferroelectric properties and governs the performance of ferroelectric memory devices. We present closed-form analytical expressions for vertical and lateral piezoelectric force microscopy PFM profiles of a single ferroelectric domain wall for the conical and disk models of the tip, beyond point charge and sphere approximations. The analysis takes into account the finite intrinsic width of the domain wall and dielectric anisotropy of the material. These analytical expressions provide insight into the mechanisms of PFM image formation and can be used for a quantitative analysis of the PFM domain wall profiles. The PFM profile of a realistic domain wall is shown to be the convolution of its intrinsic profile and the resolution function of PFM.