Abnormal domain switching in Pb(Zr,Ti)O3 thin film capacitors

crosensors, and micromechanical pumps, 1 which require integration of solution-deposited films into a variety of material structures. One of the most important requirements for ferroelectric thin films in electronic devices is the symmetric switching between two opposite polarization states. To improve the performance of existing devices and develop nextgeneration devices based on polarization switching, intensive studies of switching characteristics of thin films have been carried out. 2 Currently, piezoresponse force microscopy PFM is widely used for assessment of the local switching properties via visualization of domain structure, after application of an electric potential between the probing tip and the bottom electrode. 3‐6 Generally, domain orientation after poling is consistent with the direction of the applied electric field. However, in some cases this trend is disrupted, i.e., after the external field is turned off the resulting domains exhibit polarization opposite to the direction of the applied field. 7‐13