Atomic Force Microscopy Studies of Carbon Nitride (CNx) Films Deposited on a Conducting Polymer Substrate

Carbon nitride films were deposited onto indium tin oxide and undoped polybithiophene substrates using direct-current reactive magnetron sputtering. The local morphology and electronic properties of the deposited films were investigated using phase-imaging (PI-AFM) and current-sensing atomic force microscopy (CS-AFM). The deposited materials were found to be generally amorphous with many individual nanostructured bonding domains. The nature of the substrate was found to have a significant effect on the microscopic distribution of carbon nitride regions with the carbon nitride films showing some long-range order when deposited onto an undoped polybithiophene substrate.