Crystallographic mapping of ferroelectric thin films using piezoresponse force microscopy and electron backscatter diffraction

Ferroelectric lead zirconate titanate (PZT) thin films have been analysed using electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD). Grain orientation mapping has been demonstrated, showing that features smaller than 100 nm may be successfully indexed. In conjunction with piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM), which was used to map and quantify the piezoelectric response from the same region of the films with a resolution of 10 nm, an analysis of the effects of grain orientation on the measured response at the nanoscale was possible. The microtexture of the film showed the presence of both mono- and multi-domains within grains exhibiting sizes of hundreds of nanometres.