Initial stages of metal- and organic-semiconductor interface formation

Abstract: This licentiate thesis deals with the electronic and geometrical properties of metal-semiconductor and organic-semiconductor interfaces investigated by photoelectron spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy. First in line is the Co-InAs interface (metal-semiconductor) where it is found that Co is reactive and upon adsorption and thermal treatment it alloys with the indium of the substrate to form metallic islands, about 20 nm in diameter. The resulting broken bonds causes As entities to form which are loosely bond to the surface and evaporate upon thermal treatment. Thus, the adsorption of Co results in a rough interface. Secondly the metal-free phthalocyanine (H2PC) - titanium dioxide interface (organic-semiconductor) is investigated. Here it is found that the organic molecules arrange themselves along the substrate rows upon thermal treatment. The interaction with the TiO2 is mainly with the valence Π-electrons in the molecule causing a relatively strong bond, but this interaction is short range as the second layer of molecules retains their molecular character. This results in an ordered adsorption but limited mobility of the molecules on the surface prohibiting well ordered close packed layers. Furthermore, the hydrogen atoms inside the cyclic molecule leave the central void upon thermal treatment. The third case is the H2PC-InAs/InSb interface (organic-semiconductor). Here ordered overlayer growth is found on both substrates where the molecules are preferentially adsorbed on the In rows in the [110] direction forming one-dimensional chains. The InSb-H2PC interface is found to be weakly interacting and the bulk-like molecular character is retained upon both adsorption and thermal treatment. On the InAs-H2PC interface, however, the interaction is stronger. The molecules are more affected by the surface bond and this effect stretches up a few monolayers in the film after annealing.