Electrical and optical properties of phthalocyanine films

Thin films of various phthalocyanines (Pcs) were sublimed onto quartz glass in ultrahigh vacuum. The electrical and optical properties were studied without breaking the ultrahigh vacuum. The dyes were purified by repeated sublimation in vacuum. The conductivity varied with pretreatment (modification) and temperature. Exposure to oxygen, iodine and bromine increased the p-type conductivity by orders of magnitude and lithium doping caused n-type conductivity. Heavy exposure to halogens caused not only broadening of the optical absorption band but also bleaching. Annealing in vacuum removed the electrical and optical effects of doping nearly completely. Field effect studies were used to identify p- and n-type conductivity, to determine the drift mobility and to estimate the trap densities. The field effect and the photoconductivity of p- and n-type films increased by several orders of magnitude with the dark conductivity, i.e. with doping. This correlation is attributed either to traps with a continuous distribution in energy or to trapping by at least two discrete defect levels crossing the Fermi level within the surface-induced accumulation layer. Possible consequences for the sensitivity of semiconductor gas sensors are discussed.