Patterned photochemical deposition on domain engineered ferroelectric single crystals

Abstract

The photochemical deposition of silver on (001)-oriented 0.25Pb(In1/2Nb1/2)O3-0.44Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3-0.31PbTiO3 (PIN-PMN-PT) ferroelectric single crystals is investigated via piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) and Kelvin probe force microscopy (KPFM). Selective photochemical deposition within c+ domains is attained by manipulating the photoreaction time. Enhanced photochemical reduction at c-/c+ domain boundaries is achieved by controlling the domain poling voltage and the scanning direction of the tip during domain switching. These phenomena are explained by polarisation band bending at domain boundaries and tip induced charge injection during domain switching. This work provides insight into obtaining an arbitrary spatial distribution of photodeposited metal on ferroelectric materials.