The development of new preparation methodologies for the creation of novel organic thin film assemblies for use as optical and electronic elements is the focus of the research in this project supported by the Analytical and Surface Chemistry Program. Professor Armstrong and his students at the University of Arizona will use a comprehensive approach of synthesis and characterization of these thin film systems. Organic molecular beam epitaxy (OMBE) and Langmuir-Blodgett (L-B) approaches will be employed to deposit films on a variety of substrate surfaces. The preparation of organic films of highly luminescent dyes by OMBE will be characterized through a variety of spectroscopic and crystallographic methods to gain understanding into the role of structure and composition in their ultimate use as microcircuitry elements. Bilayer and multilayer films of a number of phthalocyanine derivatives will be prepared using the L-B technique. The films are being investigated for future applications as microcircuitry and field effect transistor (FET) devices. The controlled growth of organic molecular thin films is an area of intense interest due to its potential impact in the creation of molecular electronic devices. The development of new preparation and characterization strategies is a vital component in the evolution of this technology. Professor Armstrong and his students at the University of Arizona will apply new synthetic methods and a host of spectroscopic techniques to gain insights into the fundamental electronic and optical properties of organic thin films. The combination of synthetic and characterization aspects of molecular thin film systems undertaken here will have relevance to a wide range of projected applications of organic thin films.
