Mobility of 180° domain walls in congruent LiTaO₃ measured using real-time electro-optic imaging microscopy

We report the electric-field dependence of 180° domain-wall mobility in congruent LiTaO₃ measured at room temperature using in situ electro-optic imaging microscopy. The measured sideways domain-wall velocity of serrated domain fronts formed upon merger of domains was an order of magnitude larger than that for independently growing domains. The wall velocities also show a strong dependence on the nature of the applied electric field, being an order of magnitude larger for steady-state voltages as compared to pulsed voltage measurements. This is shown to be due to wall stabilization between applied voltage pulses resulting in an inertial delay in moving a domain wall which has been at rest for many seconds.