Specular x-ray reflectivity study of ordering in self-assembled organic and hybrid organic-inorganic electro-optic multilayer films

The microstructures of siloxane-based self-assembled electro-optic superlattices composed of high-hyperpolarizable organic chromophore arrays intercalated with Ga and In oxide sheets were analyzed. The film thickness increased linearly as a function of the number of layers, underscoring the high structural regularity and efficiency of the synthetic approach. The dependence of the relative surface roughness on the number of layers was found to be identical for self-assembled organic and organic-inorganic hybrid film structures. The solution-based deposition of Ga and In metal oxide layers was found to be suitable for nanometer scale film construction, and enables tunable, metal-dependent modification of feasible superlattice physicochemical properties.