Cross-correlation of electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD) patterns was used to
generate rotation, strain, and stress maps of single-crystal tetragonal barium titanate
(BaTiO3) containing isolated, small, sub-micrometer a domains separated from a c-domain
matrix by 90° domain boundaries. Spatial resolution of about 30 nm was demonstrated over
5 μm maps, with rotation and strain resolutions of approximately 10−4. The magnitudes of
surface strains and, especially, rotations peaked within and adjacent to isolated
domains at values of approximately 10−2, i.e., the tetragonal distortion of BaTiO3. The
conjugate stresses between a domains peaked at about 1 GPa, and principal stress
analysis suggested that stable microcrack formation in the c domain was possible. The
results clearly demonstrate the applicability of EBSD to advanced multilayer ceramic
capacitor reliability and strongly support the coupling between the electrical
performance and underlying mechanical state of BaTiO3-containing devices.