Browsing by Author "Bihler, Eckardt"

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Open Access
Dynamics of polarization growth and polarization reversal in PVDF films
(1988) Womes, Manfred; Bihler, Eckardt; Eisenmenger, Wolfgang
The authors present measurements of the maximum displacement at the end of a rectangular high-voltage pulse together with the remanent polarization after the pulse under short-circuit condition as a function of the polarizing pulse end length. The pulse length varied from 10 μs to 100 s, and the field strength ranged from 0.8 MV/cm to 2 MV/cm. The original samples were reversely polarized or unpolarized 12-μm-thick films containing 37% β-material. It is concluded that the cooperative model combined with six-site potential alone cannot explain the observed switching back of the remanent polarization, its delayed development, and the long times necessary for polarization reversal. The results are qualitatively consistent with a model of charge injection and charge trapping at polarized crystallites.
Open Access
Dynamics of polarization growth and reversal in PVDF films
(1989) Womes, Manfred; Bihler, Eckardt; Eisenmenger, Wolfgang
Measurements are presented of the time development of the dielectric displacement and the remanent polarization in polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) for poling times ranging from 1 μs to 1000 s and poling fields between 0.8 and 2.0 MV/cm. For longer times (0.1 to 1000 s), the time dependence of the polarization distribution across the film thickness is also determined. After application of a steep rectangular high-voltage pulse, the sample is shorted to zero voltage. The remanent polarization under the short-circuit conditions is compared to the maximum dielectric displacement under the external poling field. A significant time delay of the buildup of the remanent polarization was observed as compared to the dielectric displacement under field. This time delay depends significantly on the applied field strength and the crystallinity of the films. In the case of polarization reversal, a flipping back' of the polarization was observed for shorter poling times of up to 200 μs. Under these conditions, a large part of the polarization is reversed under the field, but after the removal of the field, most of the polarization returns to the original direction. The results can be explained by the ferroelectric cooperative coupling of oriented crystallite dipoles to charges trapped at the surface of polarized crystallites.
Open Access
Electric field-induced gas emission from PVDF films
(1987) Bihler, Eckardt; Holdik, Karl; Eisenmenger, Wolfgang
Charge injection, conduction and trapping are important processes for stabilizing the electric polarization in the piezoelectric polymer PVDF. In order to study the nature of the pertinent charges in PVDF we measured the gas emission from PVDF using a permeable electrode under an applied electric field up to 0.7 MV/ cm. The films were covered on one side with evaporated copper, on the other side a copper wire gauze was used as a permeable electrode. The polymer films were mounted in an UHV-system with a built-in quadrupole mass spectrometer for residual gas analysis. Charging the permeable electrode negatively, gas emission was found mainly consisting of hydrogen, hydrogen fluoride, and fluorine. For comparison FEP-and PET-films were examined.
Open Access
Influence of charge injection on the formation of remanent polarization in P(VDF-TrFE) copolymers
(1990) Bihler, Eckardt; Neumann, Guido; Eberle, Gernot; Eisenmenger, Wolfgang
The influence of charge injection on the formation of remanent polarization of P(VDF-TrFE) copolymers was studied by inserting an insulating barrier between the metal electrodes and the P(VDF-TrFE) copolymer during the poling process. The resulting remanent polarization is significantly smaller than that of identically poled samples for the same field strength and time duration, but with directly contacting metal electrodes. This shows that the orientation of the dipoles alone is not a sufficient condition for the formation of remanent polarization in PVDF and its copolymers. The experiments indicate that the stabilization of the polarization is mediated by charge injection and charge trapping at polarized crystallite surfaces.
Open Access
Polarization distribution in PVDF obtained by poling under constant current condition
(1990) Neumann, Guido; Bihler, Eckardt; Eberle, Gernot; Eisenmenger, Wolfgang
Since the resistivity of PVDE films increases when the films are poled, the voltage across the samples must be increased during the poling process in order to keep the current constant. Under these conditions, the formation of a polarization zone in the center of the film depth is observed. The thickness of the polarization-free zone close to the film surfaces is found to decrease with larger current densities. The results are consistent with a model assuming charge trapping in deep traps associated with the orientation of polar crystallites.
Open Access
Polarization distributions in isotropic, stretched or annealed PVDF films
(1988) Bihler, Eckardt; Holdik, Karl; Eisenmenger, Wolfgang
The spatial distribution of the polarization in polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) films was measured at room temperature with the PPS (piezoelectric pressure step) method. In order to investigate the time development under external fields, a thin insulation polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film covering an evaporated aluminium electrode was inserted between the sample and the measuring electrode. The observed development of inhomogeneous and internal polarization zones is attributed to charge injection and charge trapping at the polarization zone boundaries. The polarization zone develops at a position where the critical field strength for dipole orientation in the crystallites is exceeded by the approach of injected homocharges (or without injection by the depletion of internal homocharges and the excess of heterocharges). The critical field for α-crystallites corresponds to an electric field phase transition at 1.2 MV/cm. The development of central polarization zones in PVDF containing β-crystallites indicates injection of charges with both signs and almost equal mobility. The results indicate that the β-crystallites determine the charge injection rate or the mobility or both.
Open Access
Polarization distributions in isotropic, stretched or annealed PVDF films
(1989) Bihler, Eckardt; Holdik, Karl; Eisenmenger, Wolfgang
The time development of the polarization distribution across the film thickness in polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) was observed using the pressure step response technique. The crystallite phase composition of the samples was changed by annealing and stretching at elevated temperatures. It is shown that the crystallite phase composition, e.g., the β crystallite content, determines the spatial distribution of the permanent polarization in PVDF.
Open Access
Polarization dynamics of VDF-TrFE copolymers
(1991) Eberle, Gernot; Bihler, Eckardt; Eisenmenger, Wolfgang
The polymer polyvinylidenefluoride (PVDF) and its copolymers with trifluoroethylene (TrFE) exhibit a strong piezoelectric effect after poling in high electric fields (100 MV/m). HV impulses of definite duration have been applied to the polymer in order to study the dynamics of the poling process. The dielectric displacement during the HV impulse was recorded. After the impulse, the remanent polarization under short-circuit conditions was also measured. It was thus possible to obtain the minimum poling time dependent on the applied field strength necessary to stabilize the remanent polarization. Comparing the time development of the dielectric displacement with the corresponding remanent polarization revealed a time delay between the orientation of the dipoles and their stabilization. It is concluded that the process of orientation of the dipoles itself is not sufficient to lead to a remanent polarization and that an additional interaction between the trapped charges and the oriented dipoles can explain the stability of the remanent polarization and the observed time delay.
Open Access
Polarization profiles of electron-beam polarized VDF-TrFE copolymer films
(1990) Schilling, Doris; Glatz-Reichenbach, Joachim; Dransfeld, Klaus; Bihler, Eckardt; Eisenmenger, Wolfgang
In order to understand more clearly the poling mechanism in ferroelectric polymers, the PPS-technique was applied to copolymer films of vinylidenefluoride with trifluoroethylene P(VDF-TrFE), poled by a focused monoenergetic electron beam. Charges were injected in a well-defined way into the polymer films and thus provided information on the influence of externally introduced electrical charges on the poling process in ferroelectric polymers. The electron beam poling of P(VDF-TrFE) films is shown to produce very high values of polarization up to 180 mC/m2, which exceeds those produced in β-PVDF by electron irradiation by a factor of three. The distribution of the polarization across the film thickness is rather asymmetric, especially for samples irradiated with 20- and 30-KeV electrons. This may be caused by the rising electrical conductivity in samples with increasing electron energy. The annealing of the copolymer films before the poling procedure leads to a systematic increase of the polarization, with T a having its steepest rise around Tc.
Open Access
Polarization profiles of polyvinylidene fluoride films polarized by a focused electron beam
(1989) Schilling, Doris; Dransfeld, Klaus; Bihler, Eckardt; Holdik, Karl; Eisenmenger, Wolfgang
The depth profiles of the polarization in films of polyvinylidene fluoride (PVDF) as well as in vinylidene‐fluoride–trifluoroethylene (VDF‐TrFE) copolymer films polarized by a focused electron beam were investigated using the piezoelectrically generated pressure step method. The dominant polarization exhibits a broad maximum inside the film. The position of this maximum depends not only on the energy of the incident electrons but also on the material parameters of the sample. Close to the surface exposed to the electron beam we have in addition observed a small secondary maximum of opposite polarization (amounting to about 1 mC/m2). A qualitative model is presented for the poling of films of PVDF and its copolymers with TrFE by focused electron beam accounting for most of the observed features. The application of electron beams for the poling of ferroelectric films allows the production of piezoelectric bimorphs. By using a well‐focused electron beam also ferroelectric domains of very small lateral dimensions can be created which could become important for ferroelectric data storage.