Bimodal Atomic Force Microscopy with a Torsional Eigenmode for Highly Accurate Imaging of Grain Orientation in Organic Thin Films.

ABSTRACT: In organic electronics, the nature and spatial distribution of grains in polycrystalline thin films of small organic semiconductor molecules greatly impact the electronic properties of devices. Therefore, tools that accurately characterize organic films at the mesoscopic level are essential. To this end, we demonstrate here the power of a bimodal atomic force microscopy (AFM) with a torsional eigenmode for highly accurate imaging of grain orientations in organic thin films. The energy dissipated between the tip and sample during scanning depends on the in-plane crystalline orientation of each grain. This fact alters the cantilever torsional observables, allowing grain orientation recognition. Remarkably, bimodal AFM with the torsional eigenmode has important advantages, such as high sensit

SUBMITTER: Arilla R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC11887426 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature