SCANNING AND FRICTION FORCE MICROSCOPY (SFFM) OF FERROELECTRIC PB(ZR,TI)O-3 THIN-FILMS

A scanning friction force microscope has been used to study the surfac es of lead zirconate titanate thin films prepared by sol-gel and pulse d laser ablation. As well as mapping the topography of the films the f riction force has proven to be a sensitive tool which can be used to d etect compositional changes. Although the laser deposited films had so me larger defects up to 500 nm, the grains had a smooth texture (rough ness approximate to 2-5 nm). Sol-gel films had grain sizes of the orde r of 150 nm and roughness of 20-50 nm. Zirconium rich films also had ' 'rosettes'' approximately 1 mu m in diameter and raised 200 nm above t he surrounding matrix. The technique was sensitive enough to discern c hemical differences at the grain boundaries and between the ''rosettes '' and the matrix.