Molecular orientation of evaporated pentacene film on polyimide alignment layer

It was found by polarized FTIR spectroscopic studies that pentacene molecules are arranged with their molecular axes perpendicular to the substrate surface when pentacene films are deposited on a polyimide alignment layer. The ring plane in a pentacene molecule is arranged parallel to the rubbing direction of the polyimide alignment film while no specific arrangement of vertically deposited pentacene molecules was found for the film without rubbing. The pentacene band at 1296 cm(-1) which has a transition dipole moment parallel to the ring plane is much stronger in a polarized IR spectrum of parallel to the rubbing direction, whereas the band at 908 cm(-1) whose transition dipole align normal to the ring plane shows much stronger intensity in a spectrum of perpendicular to the rubbing direction. These findings indicate that orientation of polyimide chains affects the arrangement of pentacene molecules when they are deposited on a polyimide alignment film.