As-grown domain structure in lithium tantalate with spatially nonuniform composition

International audienceWe investigated the as-grown domain structure in LiTaO3 with different nonuniform spatial distributions of deviation from stoichiometry. The as-grown structure formed due to cooling below Curie temperature after vapor transport equilibration (VTE) process. The formation of wide charged domain boundary consisting of smooth head-to-head and zig-zag tail-to-tail charged domain walls and flat neutral domain walls was observed. The mechanisms of domain structure formation due to phase transition and subsequent cooling were explained. The different type of charged domain walls in ferroelectrics attracts interest due to possibilities of its applications