title: Epitaxy of highly ordered organic semiconductor crystallite networks supported by hexagonal boron nitride.
abstract: This study focuses on hexagonal boron nitride as an ultra-thin van der Waals dielectric substrate for the epitaxial growth of highly ordered crystalline networks of the organic semiconductor parahexaphenyl. Atomic force microscopy based morphology analysis combined with density functional theory simulations reveal their epitaxial relation. As a consequence, needle-like crystallites of parahexaphenyl grow with their long axes oriented five degrees off the hexagonal boron nitride zigzag directions. In addition, by tuning the deposition temperature and the thickness of hexagonal boron nitride, ordered networks of needle-like crystallites as long as several tens of micrometers can be obtained. A deeper understanding of the organic crystallites growth and ordering at ultra-thin van der Waals dielectric substrates will lead to grain boundary-free organic field effect devices, limited only by the intrinsic properties of the organic semiconductors.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Montanuniversität Leoben, Franz Josef Strasse 18, Leoben, 8700, Austria.
authors.forename: Aleksandar
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Matković
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Montanuniversität Leoben, Franz Josef Strasse 18, Leoben, 8700, Austria.
authors.forename: Jakob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Genser
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, NAWI Graz, Universitätsplatz 5, Graz, 8010, Austria.
authors.forename: Daniel
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lüftner
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Montanuniversität Leoben, Franz Josef Strasse 18, Leoben, 8700, Austria.
authors.forename: Markus
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kratzer
authors.affiliation: Graphene Laboratory (GLAB) of Center for Solid State Physics and New Materials, Institute of Physics, University of Belgrade, Pregrevica 118, Belgrade, 11080, Serbia.
authors.forename: Radoš
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Gajić
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz, NAWI Graz, Universitätsplatz 5, Graz, 8010, Austria.
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Puschnig
authors.affiliation: Institute of Physics, Montanuniversität Leoben, Franz Josef Strasse 18, Leoben, 8700, Austria.
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Teichert