Self-Organization in LiNbO₃ and LiTaO₃: Formation of Micro- and Nano-Scale Domain Patterns

Abstract

We review the study of self-organized formation of several types of quasi-regular micro- and nano-scale domain patterns in single crystalline LiNbO₃ and LiTaO₃ samples with artificial surface dielectric layers. The domain images revealed by chemical etching have been visualized using optical, scanning electron and scanning probe microscopy (SPM) in contact atomic force mode. SPM piezoresponse imaging mode allows us to investigate the domain structure under the sample surface. We classify the obtained quasi-regular domain structures and discuss the mechanism of their formation and self-maintained growth.

Keywords:

• Nanodomain engineering
• lithium niobate
• lithium tantalate
• polarization reversal
• scanning probe microscopy
• self-organization

Acknowledgments

The research was made possible in part by RFBR (Grants 01-02-17443 and 03-02-06096), by RFBR-DFG (Grant 02-02-04006), by Ministry of Education RF (Grant E02-3.4-395) and by program “Basic Research in Russian Universities” (Grant YP. 06.01.031), and by Award No. REC-005 of CRDF.