Abstract
By sputtering organic films with 10 kV, 10 nA C 60 + and 0.2 kV, 300 nA Ar + ion beams concurrently and analyzing the newly exposed surface with X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy, organic thin-film devices including an organic light-emitting diode and a polymer solar cell with an inverted structure are profiled. The chemical composition and the structure of each layer are preserved and clearly observable. Although C 60 + sputtering is proven to be useful for analyzing organic thin-films, thick organic-devices cannot be profiled without the low-energy Ar + beam co-sputtering due to the nonconstant sputtering rate of the C 60 + beam. Various combinations of ion-beam doses are studied in this research. It is found that a high dosage of the Ar + beam interferes with the C 60 + ion beam, and the sputtering rate decreases with increasing the total ion current. The results suggest that the low-energy single-atom projectile can disrupt the atom deposition from the cluster ion beams and greatly extend the application of the cluster ion-sputtering. By achievement of a steady sputtering rate while minimizing the damage accumulation, this research paves the way to profiling soft matter and organic electronics. © 2008 American Chemical Society.