Optical and structural properties of the pentacene/quartz (0001) interface

Abstract

Here we investigate the growth of the pentacene thin film on the quartz (0001) surface. The evolution of the optical properties of the pentacene thin film has been monitored in situ by optical spectroscopy and the thin-film morphology was investigated ex situ by atomic force spectroscopy. We find that (001)-oriented thin-film phase pentacene crystallites grow on a one-monolayer-thick interfacial layer. The optical and structural properties of the first monolayer determined in situ and ex situ, respectively, differ substantially from those of the multilayers. Most importantly, the distinct optical properties of the first monolayer are preserved when the interface becomes buried during the subsequent pentacene thin-film formation.