Photoelectron spectroscopic investigation of in-vacuum-prepared luminescent polymer thin films directly from solution

Thin films of the luminescent polymer poly[2-methoxy-5-(2′-ethyl-hexyloxy)-1,4-phenylene vinylene] (MEH-PPV) were deposited in high vacuum directly from toluene solution on Ag substrates using a homemade electrospray (ES) deposition system. The films were deposited in multiple steps without breaking the vacuum and characterized in situ using photoemission spectroscopy. The x-ray photoemission spectroscopy measurements indicate that the deposited layers are essentially contamination free and that subsequent depositions can be performed using the ES system without dissolving the previously deposited layers. Additional ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy measurements showed the development of the highest occupied molecular-orbital structure as the MEH-PPV layer increased in thickness. This allowed the determination of the charge injection barriers (orbital alignment) at the Ag∕MEH-PPV interface.