Characterization of organic thin films for OLEDs using spectroscopic ellipsometry

We report the optical characterization of thin, evaporated organic films used in fabrication of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs):N,N'-diphenyl-N,N'-bis(3-methyl-phenyl)-1,1'biphenyl-4,4'diamine, or TPD, and tris(8-hydroxy)quinolato aluminum, or Alq(3). In particular, we have obtained and analyzed spectroscopic ellipsometry (SE) data using a multi-sample approach, to determine the optical constants for Alq(3) and TPD films over the wavelength range 250-850 nm. We show that bi-layer Alq(3)/TPD films on Si can be analyzed for individual layer thicknesses, even though the refractive index is nearly identical for these films in the visible region. Simulations of in situ monitoring are also presented, which show sub-nm thickness resolution for organic layer growth on a Si monitor wafer. SE has great utility for process control, either by ex situ or in situ thickness measurement.