[18p-E317-1~11] 9.1 Dielectrics, ferroelectrics

[18p-E317-7] Observation of Ferroelectric Domains in Transparent Ferroelectrics using Birefringence Modulation Imaging

〇(D)Yohei Uemura¹, Satoshi Matsuoka¹, Junya Tsutsumi², Sachio Horiuchi², Shunto Arai¹, Tatsuo Hasegawa¹ (1.U. Tokyo, 2.AIST)

Keywords:ferroelectric domain, domain observation technique of ferroelectrics, organic ferroelectrics

For the investigation of ferroelectric properties, it is important to observe the ferroelectric domains. We have developed an optical technique to visualize ferroelectric domains named “ferroelectrics field modulation imaging (FFMI)”, which detects the slight change of absorbance induced by applied electric field using an area sensor. Though FFMI is useful for rapid observation of domains in wide area at once, transparent materials could not be measured by FFMI because the change of absorbance is small. Here we report the observation of the modulation of birefringence using FFMI with polarizer, which enables the visualization of ferroelectric domains in transparent materials. The technique utilizes the rotation of polarized light through ferroelectric thin film caused by the electro-optic effect. We will show the details of the technique and the observation of ferroelectric domains.