Application of transmission electron microscopy for microstructural characterization of perfluoropentacene thin films

The crystalline structure and orientation of perfluoropentacene (⁠$C22$$F14$⁠, PFP) fibers formed upon thin-film deposition onto $SiO2$ substrates have been studied by means of transmission electron microscopy (TEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and x-ray diffraction. The synopsis of TEM micrographs and diffraction patterns enhances the understanding of local crystal orientation on small length scales. The relationship of the PFP fiber morphology with the crystalline arrangement of PFP molecules within single fibers was established using this technique. Radiation damage, which is a critical problem for TEM investigations of organic materials, is described and the sample morphology after TEM investigations is correlated with AFM measurements of samples previously examined by TEM.