A study on dielectric characteristics of fluorinated polyimide thin film

Controlling Fluorination Density of Soluble Polyimide Gate Dielectrics and its Influence on Organic Crystal Growth and Device Operational Stability

Fluorinated polyimides (PIs) are among the most promising candidates for gate dielectric materials in organic electronic devices because of their solution processability and outstanding chemical, mechanical, and thermal stabilities. Additionally, fluorine (F) substitution improves the electrical properties of PI thin films, such as enhanced dielectric properties and reduced surface trap densities. However, the relationship between the fluorination density of PIs and crystal growth modes of vacuum-deposited conjugated molecules on PI thin films, which is directly related to the lateral charge transport along the PI-organic semiconductor interface, has not been systematically studied. Herein, five different soluble PIs with different F densities were synthesized, and the correlation between fluorination and thin-film properties was systematically investigated. Not only were their dielectric properties modulated, but the growth modes of the organic molecules deposited on the PI thin films also changed with increasing surface F density. This phenomenon was observed by both surface and crystallographic analyses, which resulted in extremely high operational stability of field-effect transistors and the successful fabrication of organic complementary circuits. We believe that the correlation between PI backbone fluorination and its thin-film properties will provide practical insights into the material design based on controlled molecular directed surface assembly on fluorinated polymer dielectrics.

Polycrystalline PbTe:In Films on Amorphous Substrate: Structure and Physical Properties

Polycrystalline PbTe:In films on a polyimide substrate were obtained and investigated. Their structural and transport properties in a wide range of temperatures (10-300 K) were studied. The unique feature of In impurity in PbTe is the stabilization of the Fermi level (pinning effect) that allowed for the preparation polycrystalline films with the same carrier concentration. We found that heat treatment in an argon atmosphere does not change the average grain size and carrier concentration for as-grown films but greatly increases the Hall mobility and the electron mean free path. By comparing the mobility in the bulk and in the film after heat treatment, we extracted the value of the mobility that arises due to scattering at the grain boundary barriers. The ultimate goal of the present study is the development of these films in designing portable uncooled photodetectors for the mid-IR range.

Polyimide Copolymers and Nanocomposites: A Review of the Synergistic Effects of the Constituents on the Fire-Retardancy Behavior

Carbon-based polymer can catch fire when used as cathode material in batteries and supercapacitors, due to short circuiting. Polyimide is known to exhibit flame retardancy by forming char layer in condensed phase. The high char yield of polyimide is attributed to its aromatic nature and the existence of a donor–acceptor complex in its backbone. Fabrication of hybrid polyimide material can provide better protection against fire based on multiple fire-retardancy mechanisms. Nanocomposites generally show a significant enhancement in mechanical, electrical, and thermal properties. Nanoparticles, such as graphene and carbon nanotubes, can enhance flame retardancy in condensed phase by forming a dense char layer. Silicone-based materials can also provide fire retardancy in condensed phase by a similar mechanism as polyimide. However, some inorganic fire retardants, such as phosphazene, can enhance flame retardancy in gaseous phase by releasing flame inhibiting radicals. The flame inhibiting radicals generated by phosphazene are released into the gaseous phase during combustion. A hybrid system constituted of polyimide, silicone-based additives, and phosphazene would provide significant improvement in flame retardancy in both the condensed phase and gas phase. In this review, several flame-retardant polyimide-based systems are described. This review which focuses on the various combinations of polyimide and other candidate fire-retardant materials would shed light on the nature of an effective multifunctional flame-retardant hybrid materials.

Low-Permittivity Copolymerized Polyimides with Fluorene Rigid Conjugated Structure

As the miniaturization of electronic appliances and microprocessors progresses, low-permittivity interlayer materials are becoming increasingly important for their suppression of electronic crosstalk, signal propagation delay and loss, and so forth. Herein, a kind of copolyimide (CPI) film with a “fluorene” rigid conjugated structure was prepared successfully. By introducing 9,9-Bis(3-fluoro-4-aminophenyl) fluorene as the rigid conjugated structure monomer, a series of CPI films with different molecular weights were fabricated by in situ polymerization, which not only achieved the reduction of permittivity but also maintained excellent thermodynamic stability. Moreover, the hydrophobicity of the CPI film was also improved with the increasing conjugated structure fraction. The lowest permittivity reached 2.53 at 10⁶ Hz, while the thermal decomposition temperature (T_d5%) was up to 530 °C, and the tensile strength was ≥ 96 MPa. Thus, the CPI films are potential dielectric materials for microelectronic and insulation applications.

Insights into the deposition chemistry of Li ions in nonaqueous electrolyte for stable Li anodes

Comprehensive understanding of the Li deposition chemistry from Li⁺ to Li atom is crucial for suppressing dendrite formation and growth.

Dielectric Properties of Bio-Based Diphenolate Ester Epoxies

Thermoset bio-based diglycidyl ether of diphenolate esters (DGEDP) exhibit comparable mechanical properties as petroleum-derived diglycidyl ether of bisphenol A (DGEBA), whereas DGEDP is derived from levulinic acid, a safe and readily renewable feedstock. To determine the potential replacement of DGEBA as dielectric materials, a series of DGEDP-esters (i.e., methyl, ethyl, propyl, and butyl esters) were synthesized and studied. Broadband dielectric spectroscopy revealed that DGEDP-propyl has the highest dielectric constant in the series, comparable to DGEBA. Differences in the dielectric properties of DGEDP-esters is attributed to the interplay of segmental, small local, and side-chain motions on one hand and free volume and steric hindrance on the other.

Synthesis and properties of cyano group–containing polyimides with high peel strength

In order to investigate the effect of cyano groups (–CN) on the properties of the polymers, two series of polyimides (PIs) based on a –CN-containing diamine monomer and a diamine monomer without –CN group were synthesized and characterized, respectively. After studying the structure–property relationships of these polymers, it was found that some properties could be greatly improved with the incorporation of –CN groups. Firstly, the tensile test showed that the –CN-containing polymeric films had higher tensile strength and Young’s moduli. The tensile strength and the Young’s modulus of 4,4′-(hexafluoroisopropylidene) diphthalic with –CN groups anhydride reached 154.1 MPa and 1.66 GPa, respectively. Secondly, thermogravimetric analysis results revealed that the –CN-containing polymers (CN-PI polymers) had good thermal stability and exhibited no decomposition below 470°C under nitrogen atmosphere. Thirdly, the dielectric constants of the CN-PI polymers were in the range of 3.67–3.84 at 10 MHz, which had an increase of 0.5 in comparison with the corresponding PIs without –CN groups. Fourthly, the CN-PI polymers had higher peel strength to copper foils. The peel strength of 4,4′-biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride-containing –CN groups could reach 1.28 N mm−1, suggesting its strong interaction to copper matrix and the potential use in flexibility circuit board. Finally, all the films showed better optical transparency compared with DuPont’s Kapton® film.

Influence of fluorination on surface and dielectric characteristics of polyimide thin film

In this study, the effects of fluorine treatment on surface properties, surface free energies, and dielectric constants of polyimide thin films were studied using X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, contact angles, and dielectric characteristics, respectively. The glass transition temperature of fluorinated polyimide film gradually decreases with increasing fluorine pressure. The surface free energies and dielectric constants of the film decreased with increasing amount of the treatment fluorine gas. It was explained that the replacement of fluorine led to a decrease of the local electron polarization of polyimide and an increase of the free volume, which could be attributed to the relatively large volume of fluorine.