Formation and evolution of charged domain walls in congruent lithium niobate

We present experimental evidence of the formation of stable charged domain walls (CDWs) in congruent lithium niobate during switching. CDW evolution under the action of field pulses was in situ visualized. CDW boundary motion velocity is about 60 mum/s at 20 kV/mm. Relief of CDW strongly depends on applied field. Dielectric response in the presence of CDW demonstrates the pronounced frequency dependence in the range 50-150 degreesC. We propose the mechanism of CDW self-maintained propagation governed by self-consistent electrostatic interaction between the wall's steps. (C) 2000 American Institute of Physics. [S0003-6951(00)05048-8].