Ellipsometric determination of optical properties of carbazole-containing poly(L-glutamate) thin films prepared from different solvents

In this study, the refractive indices (n) and thicknesses of carbazole-containing hole-transport materials such as poly(gamma-carbazolylethyl L-glutamate) (PCELG) and poly(N-vinyl carbazole) (PVCz) films were determined by carrying out ellipsometric measurements. The thicknesses of PCELG and PVCz films determined by ellipsometric analysis were in good agreement with those determined by surface profilometry. The dependence of the refractive indices of the PCELG films on film thickness was classified into two types on the basis of the solvent from which the films were prepared: the refractive indices either increased with increasing film thickness, as in the case of PCELG films prepared from 1,2-dichloroethane (DCE) and monochlorobenzene (phi-CI), or were independent of the film thickness, as in the case of films prepared from 1,1,2,2-tetrachloroethane (TCE). A comparison of these results with the structures of the polymers, as determined by (1)H NMR, reveals that the two types of dependences of the refractive indices of the PCELG thin film on the film thickness can be attributed to the two types of aggregation structures and/or orientational characteristics corresponding to the helical conformation of the polymer. In contrast, the refractive indices of PVCz films are governed mainly by the film thickness. Finally, we would like to emphasize that the combination of ellipsometry and other techniques such as NMR and surface profilometry provide information not only on the film thickness and refractive index but also on the aggregation structure in thin films with thicknesses on the order of 50 nm. (C) 2010 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.