Abstract

Self-assembly of inorganic-organic multilayer thin films allows the construction of materials with control of thickness, chemical composition, properties and proximity of different layers for use in a variety of applications. By developing different types of organic-inorganic bonding which can be exploited to self-assemble multilayer films we are able to prepare superstructure multilayers consisting of, for example, alternating hafnium-bisphosphonate layers and cobalt diisocyanide layers. The ability to make superstructures with different types of metal-ligand interactions allows more flexibility in the choice of organic linkers, the selection of interesting metal ions, and the properties associated with various combinations of components. Different approaches to incorporating nonlinear optical properties into these multilayers will be presented. Examples of these types of multilayers grown on silicon wafers and their characterization by grazing-angle x-ray diffraction, ellipsometry and second harmonic generation will be discussed. Preliminary results of lithographic approaches to patterning these multilayers in the lateral dimension will also be presented.

© 1997 Optical Society of America