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

摘要

We report an investigation of the domain structure in Pbu0002Mg1/3Nb2/3u0003O3-30%PbTiO3 single crystalsnafter ion milling. We show that ion milling induces microdomains, typically 0.1–1 u0002m in size. Theninduced microdomains disappear after temperature annealing or electric poling, leaving behindnnanodomains of a few nanometers in size. We attribute the microdomains to surface stress inducednby ion milling. The results demonstrate the general importance of separating sample preparationnartifacts from the true domain structure in the study of ferroic materials. © 2010 American Institutenof Physics. u0004doi:10.1063/1.3533385