Vacuum-Deposited Thin Films of α-Oligothiophenes Characterized by Optical Evanscent Wave Spectroscopy

Abstract

Abstract We report on the generation of optical evanescent waves, namely waveguide modes and surface plasmons, in vacuum-deposited thin films of α-oligothiophenes. We characterized three different oligothiophenes: α-quaterthiophene (α-4T), α-sexithiophene (α-6T) and α-octithiophene (α-8T) concerning their optical properties. In addition to an accurate determination of the refractive index of thin films prepared from these molecules, the oberservation of evanescent waves in oligothiophene films indicates their high optical quality and therefore emphasizes their potential interest in integrated optics.