Abstract
Domain wall motion across an engineered 24º tilt grain boundary was investigated in Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 (PZT) films with Zr/Ti ratios of 20/80, 45/55, and 52/48. A 450±30nm and 800±70nm width of material with reduced nonlinear piezoelectric response was observed near the grain boundary for 52/48 (rhombohedral) and 45/55 (tetragonal) films, respectively. In contrast, 20/80 films showed a local minimum in the nonlinear response at the grain boundary with regions of high and low response alternating with increasing distance from the grain boundary. These differences are attributed to variations in the domain configurations in the vicinity of the grain boundary. Phase field modeling indicated domain wall bending near the grain boundary. It is shown that domain wall motion is pinned by the elastic and electric fields associated with the grain boundary and the local domain configuration.
