Scanning and friction force microscopy (SFFM) of ferroelectric Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 thin films

A scanning friction force microscope has been used to study the surfaces of lead zirconate titanate thin films prepared by sol-gel and pulsed laser ablation. As well as mapping the topography of the films the friction force has proven to be a sensitive tool which can be used to detect compositional changes. Although the laser deposited films had some larger defects up to 500 nm, the grains had a smooth texture (roughness = 2–5 nm). Sol-gel films had grain sizes of the order of 150 nm and roughness of 20–50 nm. Zirconium rich films also had “rosettes” approximately 1 μm in diameter and raised 200 nm above the surrounding matrix. The technique was sensitive enough to discern chemical differences at the grain boundaries and between the “rosettes” and the matrix.