Growth of pentacene thin films by in-line organic vapor phase deposition

We present the extension of the organic vapor phase deposition technique to an in-line geometry, in which the sample travels underneath an elongated showerhead that sprays molecules transported by a stream of carrier gas. Highly uniform pentacene films are grown at web speeds of up to 2.1 m/min, equivalent to an average deposition rate of 105 angstrom/s in a static system. With transistor mobilities of up to 1.5 cm(2)/V s, these pentacene films are of high electrical quality. Importantly, this quality is conserved up to the highest deposition speeds. We discuss the relationships between in-line deposition rate, morphology and crystallinity of the deposited pentacene films and their electrical characteristics. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.