Spectroscopy of isolated PTCDA molecules on the KCl(100) surface: vibrational spectra and azimuthal orientation

Small amounts of the model molecule perylene-3,4,9,10-tetracarboxylic acid dianhydride (PTCDA) were vacuum deposited on epitaxial KCl films on Ag(100). The use of a low substrate temperature (20 K) during deposition hampered molecular diffusion resulting in isolated monomers on the surface. Fluorescence and fluorescence excitation spectroscopy performed on these monomers yielded highly resolved spectra with narrow lines corresponding to individual vibronic modes. This high resolution in our spectra is caused by a very small inhomogeneous broadening due to well-defined adsorption sites of the molecule on the substrate. Indeed, by polarization dependent fluorescence spectroscopy we show that the flat-lying molecules exhibit a preferred azimuthal orientation on the surface, the long molecular axis being oriented along the [011] or the equivalent [011] direction of the substrate. Furthermore, the high resolution in the spectra allowed a detailed analysis of the vibronic modes. The vibrational modes of the adsorbed molecule are very similar to those of the free PTCDA molecule, but due to the presence of the substrate additional low energy modes which are relevant for the full understanding of the spectra couple to the transition.