Phase Separated Morphology of Ferroelectric–Semiconductor Polymer Blends Probed by Synchrotron X-ray Methods

Buried Structure in Block Copolymer Films Revealed by Soft X-ray Reflectivity

Interactions between polymers and surfaces can be used to influence properties including mechanical performance in nanocomposites, the glass transition temperature, and the orientation of thin film block copolymers (BCPs). In this work we investigate how specific interactions between the substrate and BCPs with varying substrate affinity impact the interfacial width between polymer components. The interface width is generally assumed to be a function of the BCP properties and independent of the surface affinity or substrate proximity. Using resonant soft X-ray reflectivity the optical constants of the film can be controlled by changing the incident energy, thereby varying the depth sensitivity of the measurement. Resonant soft X-ray reflectivity measurements were conducted on films of polystyrene-b-poly(2-vinylpyridine) (PS-b-P2VP) and PS-b-poly(methyl methacrylate) (PS-b-PMMA), where the thickness of the film was varied from half the periodicity (L₀) of the BCP to 5.5 L₀. The results of this measurement on the PS-b-P2VP films show a significant expansion of the interface width immediately adjacent to the surface. This is likely caused by the strong adsorption of P2VP to the substrate, which constrains the mobility of the junction points, preventing them from reaching their equilibrium distribution and expanding the observed interface width. The interface width decays toward equilibrium moving away from the substrate, with the decay rate being a function of film thickness below a critical limit. The PMMA block appears to be more mobile, and the BCP interfaces near the substrate match their equilibrium value.

Interfacial Interaction of Absorbate Copper Phthalocyanine with PVDF Based Ferroelectric Polymer Substrates: A Spectroscopic Study

Studies of CuPc thin films on underlying ferroelectric copolymeric and terpolymeric substrates have been performed by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS), X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), and near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS) spectroscopy. Work function (WF) and highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy level shift observed from UPS spectroscopy for successive deposition of CuPc molecules on ferroelectric polymer surfaces confirm the formation of interface dipole at the CuPc-ferroelectric polymer interface owing to charge transfer from the tailing region of the CuPc HOMO density of states (DOS) to the ferroelectric polymer layer. According to our thickness dependent XPS data, CuPc molecules are coupled to the organic ferroelectric surfaces through the central metal atom of the CuPc molecules, i.e., copper atom, and the halogens of underlying ferroelectric polymer surfaces, and hence support the charge transfer phenomenon from CuPc molecules to the ferroelectric polymer substrate. Polarization dependent NEXAFS results reveal that CuPc molecules retain their tilted geometrical configuration even at submonolayer thickness of the molecular films on both ferroelectric surfaces and confirms the electronic structural disturbance associated with structural modification of CuPc molecules due to interfacial charge transfer. Therefore, the energy level alignment with increment in the thickness of CuPc films at both the organic semiconductor-ferroelectric polymer interface is controlled by the charge transfer phenomenon from deposited CuPc molecules to the organic ferroelectric substrates. Our results provide a clear understanding about chemical interactions, molecular configurations, energy level alignment, and their correlation at CuPc/polymeric ferroelectric interfaces that can be important for organic nonvolatile memory and synaptic based thin-film transistor devices.

Quantum tunnelling and charge accumulation in organic ferroelectric memory diodes

Non-volatile memories-providing the information storage functionality-are crucial circuit components. Solution-processed organic ferroelectric memory diodes are the non-volatile memory candidate for flexible electronics, as witnessed by the industrial demonstration of a 1 kbit reconfigurable memory fabricated on a plastic foil. Further progress, however, is limited owing to the lack of understanding of the device physics, which is required for the technological implementation of high-density arrays. Here we show that ferroelectric diodes operate as vertical field-effect transistors at the pinch-off. The tunnelling injection and charge accumulation are the fundamental mechanisms governing the device operation. Surprisingly, thermionic emission can be disregarded and the on-state current is not space charge limited. The proposed model explains and unifies a wide range of experiments, provides important design rules for the implementation of organic ferroelectric memory diodes and predicts an ultimate theoretical array density of up to 1012 bit cm-2.