Organic molecular-beam deposition of perylene on Cu(110): Results from near-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy

Abstract

The growth of the polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon perylene on (110) oriented copper substrates has been studied by means of x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, near-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy, and atomic force microscopy. In the monolayer regime, the molecules are orientated with their molecular plane parallel to the substrate, whereas they adopt a tilted arrangement in multilayer films. For multilayers with thicknesses exceeding 10 nm, the molecules grow in a bulk-like structure with their long axes orientated upright to the substrate surface.

Buried interfacial layer of highly oriented molecules in copper phthalocyanine thin films on polycrystalline gold

“…[34][35][36][37][38] The observed initial growth mode of the first layers can be understood by means of the competing molecule-substrate and molecule-molecule interactions at the interface. 19,22,23 If the molecule-substrate interaction is able to overwhelm the intermolecular interaction, the molecules are adsorbed with an orientation, which allows a good overlap of the molecular orbitals with the wave functions of the substrateresulting in flat lying molecules, even on relatively rough substrates.…”

Influence of the preparation conditions on the morphology of perylene thin films on Si(111) and Si(100)

“…This new structural form may also explain the discrepancies in literature. [15][16][17] Further work needs to be done to clarify this point, also including the possible influence of the substrate morphology. 42,43 AFM images monitor the film morphology dependence on the preparation parameters.…”

“…Only a few studies have been performed so far to investigate the thin film growth dynamics of perylene and its interaction with different metal substrates, [12][13][14][15][16][17][18] and very little has been done on oxidized substrates 19,20 or semiconductors. 21 Comparing these investigations with previous works on perylene-based molecules leads to a common important result: perylene behaves differently from its derivatives.…”

Evolution of dislocations in perylene films with thickness and deposition rate

“…Hence the control of molecular order is of paramount importance for the improvement of device performance [3]. Growth parameters such as deposition rate and film thickness can play a crucial role in the determination of the molecular orientation, film morphology [4], and the crystalline structure [5].…”