Structures and Local Polarized Domains of Ferroelectric Organic Films Studied by Atomic Force Microscopy

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Abstract
We have investigated the surface structures and the local polarized domains of the copolymer thin films of vinylidene fluoride and trifluoroethylene (P(VDF/TrFE)) by atomic force microscopy (AFM). AFM observation revealed that the films consisted of “rod-like” grains and that the surface morphology depended strongly on the annealing condition. We also observed that pairs of “rod-like” grains were gradually formed depending on the length of the annealing time. The local polarized domains were fabricated by applying a high electric field to the film with a conducting AFM tip. The piezoelectric response of the film was detected using the tip with an oscillating electric field and imaged with the topographic images taken simultaneously. The X-ray profile suggested that the thin films had a β-type crystalline structure.