Influences of atomic force microscopy probe on the electrical properties of rubrene crystal device

Although it is well known that the performance of organic devices is strongly affected by atomic force microscopy (AFM) probe, the role of AFM probe on the electrical properties of organic device is still under study. In this paper, the influences of AFM probe on the phase and electrical properties of rubrene crystal device are studied systemically via the scanasyst-air and electrostatic force microscopy (EFM) technique. In the scanasyst-air mode, the real-time dynamic current of the single-crystalline device changes with the probe engaging and withdrawing. The multifarious measurements by changing the scan width, scan frequency, and scan distance between tip and crystal are carried out to examine the influence of probe to the organic device. The electrical properties of rubrene device to different polarity of tip voltage are investigated via EFM technique. These results can provide an effective and in-depth information for the research of organic semiconductor related electronic devices in the AFM environment.