Film Growth, by Seeded Supersonic Beams, of Thiophene-Based Oligomers with Controlled Optical, Structural and Morphological Properties

A novel approach for the deposition of high quality films of oligothiophenes has been developed. It is based on an original seeded supersonic molecular beam combined with a UHV deposition chamber. This method gives an unprecedented control on film properties. Several T4 films under different beams conditions have been prepared and characterized by optical absorption, photoluminescence and TMAFM. Morphology, structure and optical response are controlled by the beam's parameters. Highly ordered films, up to several hundreds of nm thick, show well resolved vibronic structures in low temperatures PL as only the best published data on films a few monolayers thick do.