Nanoscale piezoresponse, acoustic and thermal microscopy of electronic ceramics

Abstract

Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM), scanning probe acoustic microscopy (SPAM) and scanning thermal microscopy (SThM) for visualising ferroelectric microstructure were successfully developed based on a commercial atomic force microscope, and their basic principle and applications to electronic ceramics were described as well. PFM, SPAM and SThM provide powerful tools for local electromechnical, elastic and thermal property of electronic ceramics.

Local elastic and thermal behaviors of dielectric breakdown regions in multilayer ceramic capacitors

“…This probe was used to monitor the 3ω ‐signal variation ( V 3ω ) of the bridge through Joule and thermoresistive effect when the ac current ( I 0 sin ωt ) heated probe is brought in contact with the sample surface. The V 3ω signal is detected for characterizing local thermal conductivity . SPAM and 3ω ‐SThM were developed based on the commercial atomic force microscope (SPA 400, Seiko, Inc. Japan) equipped with a lock‐in amplifier (Signal Recovery 7208) and a function generator (Agilent 3301).…”

Unusual domain configurations and local piezoresponse in the [720]‐cut BaTiO3 single crystal

“…However, so far less work has been done on it. Here in the present study, piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM), a powerful tool for characterizing nanoscale domain structures, was used to characterize local domain structures and their piezoresponse behavior 9–15. Some interesting domain phenomena were found to be related to the unusual piezoresponse in [720]‐cut BT single crystal as compared to the [001]‐oriented BT crystals.…”