Organic molecular beam deposition of highly nonlinear optical 4′-nitrobenzylidene-3-acetamino-4-methoxy-aniline

Abstract

Thin films of the nonlinear optical material 4′-nitrobenzylidene-3-acetamino-4-methoxy-aniline have been prepared using the organic molecular beam deposition technique. High quality homoepitaxial layers have been grown at substrate temperatures of 80 °C and moderate growth rates of 0.1–0.5 Å/s. The samples have been characterized by optical polarization and interference microscopy as well as atomic force microscopy. Growth experiments on inorganic substrates, including silicon and glass, have been performed in a substrate temperature range of −190 to 100 °C and led to amorphous films at low temperatures and polycrystalline films at temperatures above 50 °C.