Growth of organic molecules on ferromagnetic metallic substrates : a combined STM/AFM study

The growth of large aromatic molecules on the 3d ferromagnetic transition metals is studied, in view of application into hybrid organo metallic electronic devices in which the spin degree of freedom is exploited. It has been previously shown that the ordering of organic molecules on ferromagnetic metallic substrates is mostly hindered due to the high reactivity of the substrate, which can even lead to dissociation. In this work we demonstrate that molecular ordering can be induced when the substrate is passivated or when the proper molecule-substrate combination is chosen. Structural properties of PTCDA and pentacene films grown on well-oriented substrates as well as on polycrystalline substrates are presented. ©2003 American Institute of Physics