Charge retention behavior of preferentially oriented and textured Bi3.25 La0.75 Ti3 O12 thin films by electrostatic force microscopy

Abstract

The authors report charge retention in preferentially (117) oriented and textured c -axis oriented ferroelectric Bi3.25 La0.75 Ti3 O12 thin films by electrostatic force microscopy. Surface charges of the films were observed as a function of time in a selected area which consists of a single-poled region and a reverse-poled region. The highly (117) oriented film shows the extended exponential decay with characteristic scaling exponents, n=1.5-1.6. The preferentially c -axis oriented film shows a remarkable retained behavior regardless of the poling. Decay and retention mechanisms of the regions are explained by space-charge redistribution and trapping of defects in the films. © 2007 American Institute of Physics.