The evaluation of surface topography changes in nanoscaled 2,6-diphenyl anthracene thin films by atomic force microscopy

The physical properties of electronic devices made by 2,6-diphenyl anthracene (DPA) are influenced by the microtexture of DPA surfaces. This work focused on the experimental investigation of the 3-D surface microtexture of DPA thin films deposited on OTS (octadecyltrichlorosilane), HMDS (Hexamethyldisilasane), OTMS (octadecyltrimethoxysilane), and Si/SiO₂ (300 nm SiO₂ thickness) substrates with 5 and 50 nm thicknesses and 5 and 10 μm scan size. The thin film surfaces were recorded using atomic force microscopy (AFM) and their images were stereometrically analyzed to obtain statistical parameters, in accordance with ASME B46.1-2009 and ISO 25178-2: 2012. The results showed the effect of different manufacturing parameters on microtexture values where the granular structure is confirmed in all films. In addition, root mean square is increased by increasing the thickness from 5 to 50 nm for all types of substrates.