Differentiating 180 degrees and 90 degrees switching of ferroelectric domains with three-dimensional piezoresponse force microscopy

Three-dimensional (3D) piezoresponse force microscopy is applied in order t o differentiate 90 degrees and 180 degrees domain switching in PbTiO3 (PTO) thin films. The 3D domain configuration is recorded both statically, revea ling the surface crystallographic orientation of PTO films on the nanometer scale, and dynamically by simultaneously mapping the in-plane and out-of-p lane hysteresis loops. We show that exclusively 180 degrees switching occur s, also switching only half of the grain volume. (C) 2000 American Institut e of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)04647-7].