Organic semiconductor interfaces: low-lying lattice modes of pentacene monolayers

Highly uniform monolayers of pentacene that are grown on polymeric substrate of poly alpha-methylstyrene exhibit sharp and intense free exciton luminescence. Large enhancements of Raman scattering intensities at the free exciton resonance enable the first observations of low-lying lattice vibration modes in films reaching the single monolayer level.\footnote{Rui He, et al. Appl. Phys. Lett. 94, 223310 (2009).} The low- lying modes display characteristic changes when going from a single monolayer to two layers, revealing that a phase akin to a thin film phase of pentacene already emerges in structures of only two monolayers. A simple analysis of mode splittings offers estimates of the strength of inter-layer interactions. The results demonstrate novel venues for ultra-thin film characterization and studies of interface effects in organic molecular semiconductor structures.