Conductive atomic force microscopy studies of charged domain walls in KTiOPO4

Abstract

We study the conductive properties of charged domain walls in KTiOPO4 using conductive atomic force microscopy. We show that the region of increased conductivity at the domain wall broadens when the wall is in motion, extending from the initial wall position to the final wall position. When wall motion stops, the conductive region attains a narrow width. The magnitude of the conductivity of charged domain walls is four times larger than that of the surrounding domains, as is the case at stationary wall. We investigate the impact of the scanning-angle on the domain wall conductivity and the wall motion.