1. Synchronized optical and electrical characterization of discotic liquid crystals thin films.
- Author
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Calò, Annalisa, Stoliar, Pablo, Cavallini, Massimiliano, Geerts, Yves H., and Biscarini, Fabio
- Subjects
THIN films ,OPTICAL properties ,ELECTRIC properties of thin films ,LIQUID crystal films ,MICROSCOPY ,PHTHALOCYANINES - Abstract
We describe a setup suitable for simultaneously measuring optical and electrical properties of a liquid crystal mesophase upon temperature variation, and the difference in the order parameters between the bulk and the interface with the substrate. It integrates high-resolution polarized light optical microscopy, temperature regulation, and electrical measurements in a controlled atmosphere with a software kernel that controls the instruments and synchronizes the data streams. A user-friendly interface allows us to program multistep experiments controlling all the instruments and data acquisition by a specifically designed scheduler. We tested our system on a thin film of alkoxy-substituted phthalocyanines deposited on a test pattern with interdigitated electrodes. We studied the optical and electrical behavior in the proximity of the bulk phase transition to isotropic liquid, identifying a few ordered monolayers anchored to the substrate above the transition temperature. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2010
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