DEVELOPING AN APPROACH TO IMPROVE BETA-PHASE PROPERTIES IN FERROELECTRIC PVDF-HFP THIN FILMS
Ashley S Dale
10.25394/PGS.12202805.v1
https://hammer.purdue.edu/articles/thesis/DEVELOPING_AN_APPROACH_TO_IMPROVE_BETA-PHASE_PROPERTIES_IN_FERROELECTRIC_PVDF-HFP_THIN_FILMS/12202805
Improved fabrication of poly(vinylindenefluoride)-hexafluoropropylene (PVDF-HFP) thin films is of particular interest due to the high electric coercivity found in the beta-phase structure of the thin film. We show that it is possible to obtain high-quality, beta-phase dominant PVDF-HFP thin films using a direct approach to Langmuir-Blodgett deposition without the use of annealing or additives. To improve sample quality, an automated Langmuir-Blodgett thin film deposition system was developed; a custom dipping trough was fabricated, a sample dipping mechanism was designed and constructed, and the system was automated using custom LabVIEW software. Samples were fabricated in the form of ferroelectric capacitors on substrates of glass and silicon, and implement a unique step design with a bottom electrode of copper with an aluminum wetting layer and a top electrode of gold with an aluminum wetting layer. Samples were then characterized using a custom ferroelectric measurement program implemented in LabVIEW with a Keithley picoammeter/voltage supply to confirm electric coercivity properties. Further characterization using scanning electron microscopy and atomic force microscopy confirmed the improvement in thin film fabrication over previous methods.
2020-05-02 11:43:41
beta phase
polyvinylidene
fluoride
hexafluoropropylene
Langmuir Blodgett
Langmuir Blodgett method
Thin Film Formation
Thin Film
Ferroelectric
Thin Film Characterization
Polymer
Physics
Condensed Matter
Hysteresis
LabVIEW program
Arduino
Arduino Uno microcontroller
PVDF
PVDF-HFP
Ferroelectric Capacitor
Ferroelectric Capacitors
magnetron sputtering
Coercivity
scanning electron microscopy
Atomic Force Microscopy
Condensed Matter Characterisation Technique Development
Condensed Matter Physics