Coplanar switching of polarization in thin films of vinylidene fluoride oligomers

Authors

Pankaj Sharma, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Alexandra Fursina, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Shashi Poddar, University of Nebraska - Lincoln
Stephen Ducharme, University of NebraskaFollow
Alexei Gruverman, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

2014

Citation

APPLIED PHYSICS LETTERS 105, 182903 (2014).

Comments

Copyright 2014 AIP Publishing LLC. Used by permission.

Abstract

Switching characteristics of vinylidene fluoride oligomer thin films with molecular chains aligned normal to the substrate and exhibiting a preferential in-plane polarization have been investigated using coplanar geometry of inter-digital electrodes via high-resolution piezoresponse force microscopy. It has been shown that in-plane switching proceeds via non-180 rotation of dipoles mediated by non-stochastic nucleation, expansion, and coalescence of domains. Asgrown multidomain configuration is found to be strongly pinned aided by charged domain walls, and the electrically induced (in-plane) mono-domain states relax to the as-grown state. The observed coercive field (approximately 0.6 MV/m) is two to three orders of magnitude smaller than that for the oligomer films with out-of-plane polarization. It is suggested that the low steric hindrance to the rotation of molecular dipoles gives rise to the observed low coercive field.