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WFD-2 Ferroic domains in conventional and relaxor ferroelectrics ‐
observed by SPM and evidenced by dielectric wall response

Wolfgang Kleemann
Angewandte Physik, Universitat Duisburg-Essen, D-47048 Duisburg, Germany


     Direct observation of ferroelectric domains by using scanning probe microscopy
     (SPM, viz. atomic force and piezoelectric force scanning microscopy, AFM and PFM,
     respectively) is considered for two limiting cases. On one hand, pure crystals showing
     conventional ferroelectricity like PbTiO3 reveal regular ferroelectric-ferroelastic
     domains, while strongly charge disordered relaxor ferroelectrics like Sr0.61Ba0.39Nb2O6
     (SBN) develop irregularly structured random-field controlled domains. The physical
     principles governing both phenotypes are explained within the frame of simple models.

        Indirect evidence of domain walls is deduced from dielectric spectroscopy.
     Impurities in pure ferroelectric crystals like periodically poled KTiOPO4 (KTP) on
     one hand and charge disorder in uniaxial relaxor ferroelectrics like SBN on the other
     hand give rise to friction-controlled creep and slide response at ultralow frequencies,
     and to local segmental relaxation in the rf range. An appropriate model describing the
     domain kinetics and the corresponding polydispersive dielectric response will be
     discussed.









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