Ion-beam induced domain structure in piezoelectric PMN-PT single crystal

摘要

We report an investigation of the domain structure in Pb(Mg_(1/3)Nb_(2/3))O_3-30%PbTiO_3 single crystals after ion milling. We show that ion milling induces microdomains, typically 0.1 1 μm in size. The induced microdomains disappear after temperature annealing or electric poling, leaving behind nanodomains of a few nanometers in size. We attribute the microdomains to surface stress induced by ion milling. The results demonstrate the general importance of separating sample preparation artifacts from the true domain structure in the study of ferroic materials.