ELECTRIC-FIELD-INDUCED STRUCTURAL-CHANGE FOR POLY(VINYLIDENE FLUORIDE-CO-TRIFLUOROETHYLENE) ULTRATHIN FILMS STUDIED BY SCANNING MAXWELL STRESS MICROSCOPE

Poly(vinylidene fluoride-co-trifluoroethylene) [P(VDF/TrFE), VDF 75 me l %] ultrathin films of 10 nm thickness were prepared on gold coated s ilicon wafer substrates by a spin-coating method and their aggregation states were investigated by Fourier transform infrared reflection abs orption spectroscopic measurement. It was found that P(VDF/TrFE) forme d a ferroelectric phase even in a confined state such as an ultrathin film. The electric field was locally imposed on the ultrathin film thr ough a gold coated cantilever tip. The change of dipole moment orienta tion of P(VDF/TrFE) was evaluated by measuring surface potential chang e, performed by scanning Maxwell stress microscopy (SMM). The SMM imag es revealed that the local dipole moment orientation of P(VDF/TrFE) in ultrathin films could be changed by an application of electric field through an atomic force microscope tip. (C) 1998 American Vacuum Socie ty.