Gap states in pentacene thin film induced by inert gas exposure

We studied gas-exposure effects on pentacene (Pn) films on SiO2 and Au(111) substrates by ultrahigh sensitivity photoelectron spectroscopy, which can detect the density of states of ∼10(16) states eV-1 cm-3 comparable to electrical measurements. The results show the striking effects for Pn/SiO2: exposure to inert gas (N2 and Ar) produces a sharp rise in gap states from ∼10(16) to ∼10(18) states eV-1 cm-3 and pushes the Fermi level closer to the valence band (0.15-0.17 eV), as does exposure to O2 (0.20 eV), while no such gas-exposure effect is observed for Pn/Au(111). The results demonstrate that these gap states originate from small imperfections in the Pn packing structure, which are induced by gas penetration into the film through the crystal grain boundaries.