SCANNING FORCE AND FRICTION MICROSCOPY OF FERROELECTRIC PB(ZR, TI)O3 THIN-FILMS

Scanning force and friction microscopy (SFFM) has, for the first time, been applied to investigate the morphology and phase structure of Pb(Zr, Ti)O3 ferroelectric thin films, deposited by sol-gel. The topographic characterization (roughness 20-50 nm, grain size 150-500 nm) reveals the presence of clusters of grains (rosettes) in zirconium rich films. The friction measurements show that the rosettes and the surrounding material are composed of different phases. Quantitative comparisons of the friction forces are performed.