Study of LiNbO₃ and LiTaO₃ ferroelectric domain structures using high-resolution x-ray diffraction under application of external electric field

Regular domain structures formed in ferroelectric LiNbO₃ and LiTaO₃ crystals by the aftergrowth thermoelectrical treatment technique were studied by high-resolution x-ray diffraction and topography under an external electric field applied to the crystals. The application of an external electric field to the crystal causes longitudinal and shift deformations due to the reverse piezoelectric effect and, as a result, inverse changes in the Bragg angle values in adjacent domains. The changes in the Bragg angle values lead to an increase in the x-ray topographic contrast of the domain structure images and allow the direction of the polar and piezoelectrically active axis in adjacent domains to be unambiguously determined. In addition, it was shown that the x-ray diffraction technique can be used to study the behavior of elastic deformations near domain boundaries under an external electric field applied to crystals.