Characterizing ferroelectric materials with SS-PFM and DCUBE PFM

Piezoresponse force microscopy (PFM) is a powerful technique for studying ferroelectric materials due to the high sensitivity and nanometer-level resolution that it inherits from atomic force microscopy (AFM). PFM-based spectroscopic methods, such as switching spectroscopy PFM (SS-PFM) and DataCube™ PFM (DCUBE PFM), allow the characterization of key parameters of ferroelectrics, such as coercive voltages, nucleation voltages, saturation responses, and more. Unfortunately, the quantification and interpretation of PFM results can be complicated by artifacts. In this application note from Bruker, learn more about the best modes and practices for optimizing PFM measurements to achieve reliable results.