Direct observation and measurement of mobile charge carriers in a monolayer organic semiconductor on a dielectric substrate

We report the electrical characterization of a single layer of an organic semiconductor grown on a dielectric surface. The dynamic response of the charge carriers in the monolayer film of pentacene was characterized through the electrostatic interactions between an electric force microscope (EFM) probe and pentacene islands of various sizes. These islands were formed in situ by segmenting a coalesced pentacene monolayer into separated regions. The size-dependent dielectric responses of the pentacene islands suggest that mobile charges exist in the organic monolayer. Local capacitance spectroscopy revealed that the charge carriers in the p-type pentacene monolayer could be depleted at high bias voltages, enabling a further determination of the charge-carrier concentration in the organic semiconductor ultrathin film.