GROWTH OF COPPER-PHTHALOCYANINE THIN-FILMS ON MICA USING A 2-STAGE DEPOSITION TECHNIQUE

We have developed a two-stage deposition technique to fabricate copper -phthalocyanine (Cu-Pc) thin films with good crystallinity and a molec ularly flat surface. The Cu-Pc thin films were grown on mica substrate s using an ionized cluster beam (ICB) system, and examined using scann ing electron microscopy (SEM), atomic force microscopy (AFM), and X-ra y diffraction (XRD) techniques. In the two-stage deposition technique, a thin layer (2 nm) of Cu-Pc film was deposited at a temperature belo w 338 K in the first stage, and a Cu-Pc film of designed thickness (10 nm) was deposited at a temperature near 473 K in the second stage. Th ese thin films had a well developed (002) texture showing good crystal linity, and unidirectionally aligned, elongated crystallites with the root mean square (rms) surface roughness of 1.8 nm, which is less than the 2 molecular diameter of Cu-Pc. Various factors affecting the grow th of Cu-Pc films during the two-stage deposition are examined to eluc idate the controlling mechanisms. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All r ights reserved.