Note: Direct piezoelectric effect microscopy

An alternative method for investigating piezoelectric surfaces is suggested, exploiting the direct piezoeffect. The technique relies on acoustic (ultrasonic) excitation of the imaged surface and mapping of the resulting oscillatory electric potential. The main advantages arise from the spatial resolution of the conductive scanning probe microscopy in combination with the relatively large magnitude of the forward piezo signal Upf, which can be of the order of tens of mV even for non-ferroelectric piezoelectric materials. The potency of this experimental strategy is illustrated with measurements on well-crystallized quartz surfaces, where Upf ∼ 50 mV, for a piezoelectric coefficient of d33 = - 2.27  ×  10(-12) m/V, and applied stress of about T3 ∼ 5.7 kPa.