title: Ferroelectric 180° a-a nanostripe and nanoneedle domains in thin BaTiO₃ films prepared with focused-ion beam.
abstract: Ferroelectric 180° a-a nanostripe domain structure was observed by transmission electron microscopy in a thin (≤ 100 nm) film prepared from a bulk single crystal of BaTiO₃ with focused-ion beam (FIB). The domain consists of alternate sequences of narrow and wide anti-parallel domains. High-magnification images of a stable 180° nanoneedle domain, with a sharp tip penetrating into the nanostripe domains, were also obtained. Two-dimensional phase-field simulations based on time-dependent Ginzburg-Landau (TDGL) equations suggest a possibility that such a domain structure is created and stabilized by an in-plane anisotropic stress and an anisotropic mechanical boundary condition of the thin film prepared with FIB.
authors.affiliation: Central Research Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd.,Tokyo, Japan. takao.matsumoto.cb@hitachi.com
authors.forename: Takao
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Matsumoto
authors.forename: Masakuni
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Okamoto