Characterization of domain structures in epitaxial PbTiO3 thin films using synchrotron XRD

Abstract

Ferroelectric twin domain structures of epitaxial PbTiO3 thin films grown on various single crystal substrates were investigated in-detail by reciprocal space mapping techniques using synchrotron X-ray. Direct comparison with one-directional X-ray diffraction scan that is conventionally employed for structural characterization clearly demonstrated that quantitative c-domain abundance and domain-tilt angles could be determined by two-dimensional mapping of PbTiO3 (001) and (100) reflections. Predominant orientation and domain structures of the films strongly depend on the substrate selection. Moreover, it is found that coherency strain across the 90 degrees domain boundary is accommodated mainly by domain-tilt of minor domain.