Growth and characterization of thin PTCDA films on 3C-SiC(001)c(2 x 2)

The growth of thin 3,4,9,10-perylene tetracarboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) films on a 3C-SiC(001)c(2 x 2) substrate has been studied by means of photoelectron spectroscopy (PES) and atomic force microscopy (AFM). In the first monolayer the molecules interact with the substrate mainly through the O atoms in the end groups of the molecule. The O atoms have a higher binding energy in the first molecular layer compared to the following layers. No chemical shifts are observed in the Si 2p spectra or in the C 1s spectra from the perylene core of the molecules. From the VB spectra and LEED pattern we conclude that the substrate remains in the c(2 x 2) reconstruction after PTCDA deposition. For thicker films a Stranski-Krastanov film growth was observed with flat lying molecules relative to the substrate. (c) 2006 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.