ELECTRON-BEAM POLING OF THIN FLUOROPOLYMER LAYERS

Electron beam poling by use of a scanning electron microscope was deve loped and applied to thin polymer layers. The electron beam charging p rocess was studied by measurement of the surface potential, dependent on the acceleration voltage. The induced orientation of CF2 dipole gro ups of the ferroelectric copolymer vinylidene fluoride/trifluoroethyle ne was detected by means of IR spectroscopy as well as by nonlinear op tical methods. Using electron beam microlithography, microscopic polar ization structures have been written into thin fluoropolymer layers by means of a direct, computer-controlled writing process; they were rea d out through potential contrast images as well as by means of SHG (se cond harmonic generation).