Mesoscopic ferroelectric cell arrays prepared by imprint lithography

Arrays of mesoscopic ferroelectric $(\mathrm{Pb,Zr}){\mathrm{TiO}}_3$ cells with lateral sizes from several micrometers down to below 300 nm were prepared applying nanoimprint lithography. The ferroelectric properties of the mesoscopic cells were investigated by scanning force microscopy in piezoresponse mode. The best chemical route to obtain ferroelectric cells was found to be the sol-gel method. Using Nb-doped ${\mathrm{SrTiO}}_3$ single crystals as bottom electrodes, the crystallization into the ferroelectric phase was uniform with grain sizes in the 35 nm range.