Epitaxial growth of thin films of perylenetetracar☐ylic dianhydride and coronene on NaCl(001)

Abstract The growth of perylenetetracar☐ylic dianhydride (PTCDA) and coronene thin films on cleaved NaCl(001) surfaces by vacuum deposition was studied. The structure and quality of the films depend on the deposition rate and on the substrate temperature. For high substrate temperatures and low deposition rates, epitaxial growth occurs; long needles are formed pointing in the two symmetry-equivalent directions [110] and [110] of NaCl, with the molecules standing perpendicular to the substrate surface. At low substrate temperatures, only small crystallites grow with no preferred orientation in the case of coronene, and with only the molecular plane oriented parallel to the substrate, but without azimuthal orientation in the case of PTCDA.