Observation of nanoscale ferroelectric domains using super-higher-order nonlinear dielectric microscopy

Scanning nonlinear dielectric microscopy is a powerful technique for measuring the domain structure of ferroelectrics. We observed congruent LiTaO ₃ and found the marked enhancement of nonlinear dielectric ''constants'' when the applied tip-sample voltage exceeded a particular threshold value. This is due to domain nucleation activated by a huge electric field under the tip. Moreover, low frequencies (less than a few hundred Hz) did not enhance the nonlinearity. An effectively lower electric field caused by ion conduction in the sample under the tip is a possible reason for the frequency-dependent characteristics of the enhanced nonlinearity for the applied voltage.