Fig. 3

Ferroelectric switching and stability in 2- and 3-u.c. BFO films. a, b Out-of-plane SS-PFM amplitude (half-filled green squares) and phase (filled azure circles) curves for 2-u.c. BFO film measured in air and argon, respectively. c, d Out-of-plane SS-PFM amplitude (half-filled green squares) and phase (filled azure circles) curves for 3-u.c. BFO film measured in air and argon, respectively. e, f Out-of-plane PFM amplitude and phase images for 2-u.c. BFO film measured in air after applying +5 V and −5 V voltage. g, h Out-of-plane PFM amplitude and phase images for 2-u.c. BFO film measured in argon after applying +5 V and −5 V voltage. The scale bar is 1 μm