Electrical Transport Properties of Oligothiophene-Based Molecular Films Studied by Current Sensing Atomic Force Microscopy

Using conducting probe atomic force microscopy (CAFM) we have investigated the electrical conduction properties of monolayer films of a pentathiophene derivative on a SiO(2)/Si-p+ substrate. By a combination of current-voltage spectroscopy and current imaging we show that lateral charge transport takes place in the plane of the monolayer via hole injection into the highest occupied molecular orbitals of the pentathiophene unit. Our CAFM data suggest that the conductivity is anisotropic relative to the crystalline directions of the molecular lattice.