Switching spectroscopy piezoresponse force microscopy of polycrystalline capacitor structures

Abstract

Polarization switching in polycrystalline PbZr0.52Ti0.48O3 films on Pt-coated Si substrates was studied by switching spectroscopy piezoresponse force microscopy (SSPFM). Acquisition of multiple hysteresis loops allows polarization switching parameters, including nucleation, coercive biases, and switchable response to be mapped in real space. In contrast to measurements made on the free surface, those on the metal-ferroelectric-metal capacitor structures show the evolution of correlated switching of 102–103 grain clusters with well-defined imprint and nucleation biases. The role of substrate bending on clustering and SSPFM detection mechanisms are discussed. These studies demonstrate real-space imaging of mesoscopic polarization reversal in real-world devices.