Angstom-resolved Interfacial Structure in Organic-Inorganic Junctions

Charge transport processes at interfaces play a crucial role in many processes. Here, the first soft x-ray second harmonic generation (SXR SHG) interfacial spectrum of a buried interface (boron–Parylene N) is reported. SXR SHG shows distinct spectral features that are not observed in x-ray absorption spectra, demonstrating its extraordinary interfacial sensitivity. Comparison to electronic structure calculations indicates a boron-organic separation distance of 1.9 Å, with changes of less than 1 Å resulting in easily detectable SXR SHG spectral shifts (ca. hundreds of milli-electron volts).