Films of organic molecular semiconductors are grown by organic molecular beam epitaxy (OMBE) under different conditions, such as pressure, substrate type and temperature, absence or presence of external fields. The study of the OMBE growth process itself is carried out by detecting in situ and in real time the properties of the growing samples. The main interest of the group rests in the intrinsic properties of the molecular materials in the solid state, in particular in the form of thin layers of high crystalline quality, suitable for device applications. Several molecules, such as oligothiophenes, oligocenes, acridines, and porphyrines are studied. The main technique applied in-situ is reflectance anisotropy spectroscopy (RAS), which gives insight on the evolution of the electronic properties of the films during growth, as well as the properties of the final sample. The morphology and structural properties of the samples, closely related to the growth mode, are then studied ex-situ, mainly by atomic force microscopy; finally, the optical properties of the molecular films are studied in comparison with the single crystal properties. In the frame of well established collaborations, the structure of the thin films is checked by X-ray diffraction and, for some materials, the transport properties determined. For selected samples, prototypical devices are also fabricated to check the possible application of the newly grown materials.

Heterostructures and nanostructures of organic molecular materials interesting for their solid state properties are also among the interests of the group. They are grown by OMBE and studied, in view of the understanding of their properties as a result of properly tuned growth protocols. Films of different molecules on high quality single crystal substrate, made of the same or similar molecular organic compounds, permit studying the conditions for epitaxy, therefore the fabrication of artificial structures with high quality interfaces and controlled properties. Few nm-thick films are also stacked in multilayers on different inorganic and organic substrates. The morphology and structure of each layer, the interface quality, and the electronic states of the whole structure are studied by scanning probe microscopies and by optical techniques.

Prof. Adele Sassella
Dr. Alessandro Minotto

OMBE Lab – U5 Building, Ground Floor, Rooms T044A/B – T072

The OMBE apparatus consists of high vacuum and ultra-high vacuum chambers where up to six sources can be installed for depositing different compounds; during OMBE growth, the film thickness is monitored in-situ by a quartz microbalance and its optical behavior by RAS. Optical spectroscopies, such as absorption, reflection, photoluminescence and ellipsometry, are used for the study of thin films and multilayers ex-situ, also in comparison with the properties detected in-situ by RAS. Optical measurements can be carried out as a function of temperature, down to few K, under polarized light and at different incidence angles. Atomic force microscopy is used ex-situ for the morphology characterization of all the samples and for the study of the film growth process; morphology is usually checked over sereval μm² wide regions, while on crystalline samples molecular resolution is also achievable.