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Scientists have recently discovered simultaneous photoconductivity and photochromism (i.e., optical switching upon light exposure) of oxygen-containing rare-earth metal hydrides (REMHO). A deep understanding of these extraordinary optical and electrical properties can open the door to advanced technological uses such as smart windows. This thesis work is to establish a correlation between the photochromism of these materials with their photoconductive response and comprehend the underlying physics behind them. The samples were grown by reactive magnetron sputtering. The dynamics of the photochromic effect were observed by recording the time-resolved relative transmittance of the films during photodarkening and bleaching using a UV-vis spectrometer. The samples were characterized electrically by employing the two-point probe resistance measurement. The depth profiles of the concentration of chemical elements were extracted from Ion Beam Analysis. A systematic study was performed to see how the photoconductive and photochromic responses of the REMHO thin films depend on the wavelength and intensity of the illuminating light as well as the chemical composition of the films. Both effects showed i) higher response for shorter wavelength, ii) a cut-off near a similar wavelength, iii) saturation near UV region, and iv) similar relaxation time but with different kinetics. Multiple measurements performed on the same sample showed that the previous measurement affects the next measurement indicating a memory effect. Finally, the photoconductive response showed an increase with increasing oxygen concentration.

Mon travail de thèse porte sur l’assemblage supramoléculaire et le transport de charge des multi-composants utilisés dans le domaine de l’électronique à base organique. En particulier, l’étude et l’optimisation des transistors organiques à effet de champ (OFETs), des phototransistors, et des inverseurs organiques. Nous avons démontré que la température de recuit des dispositifs OFETs améliore les performances électriques d’un dérivé de fullerène (ICBA). Ces dispositifs dont les surfaces de SiO2 sont fonctionnalisées par OTS ou HMDS ont montrés des mobilités d’électrons de 0.1cm2V-1s-1, qui est la plus élevée par rapport à la littérature. Aussi, nous avons fabriqué des phototransistors à base de mono- et multifibres de PDIF-CN2 qui ont été optimisés par traitements de surfaces du diélectrique (HMDS ou OTS). Les propriétés optoélectroniques de ces dispositifs ont été comparées à ceux des dispositifs à base des couches minces déposés par spin-coating (éduction centrifuge). Nos dispositifs mono-fibres ont montré des valeurs de mobilité plus élevées (supérieure à 2 cm2V-1s-1) par rapport à ceux des multifibres et couches minces. Une telle efficacité de transport d’électrons est le résultat d’une cristallinité très élevée des fibres, qui permet une collecte efficace des excitons photo-générés qui se traduit par la plus haute sensibilité à la lumière (R) et photosensibilité (P) rapportées pour les phototransistors à base de mono-fibre supérieure à 2 × 103 AW-1, et 5 × 103 AW-1. Enfin, un polymère ambipolaire (DPPT-TT) a été utilisé lors de la fabrication de nouveaux dispositifs multifonctionnels par l’addition des molécules diaryléthènes (DAE_tBu et ou DAE_F), dont les propriétés électriques sont contrôlées par la lumière. Cette approche a permis un contrôle optique de gain en tension des inverseurs organiques, ces dispositifs multi-composants sont caractérisés par des gain en tensions très élevées (jusqu’au 504) comparés à ceux reportés dans la littérature (86). Ces travaux réalisés durant cette thèse offrent de nouvelles perspectives dans le domaine de l’optoélectronique et la conception des mémoires optiques. / This thesis is focused on the investigation of supramolecular assemblies and the charge carriers transport across organic single, bi- and three-component materials, used as the active layer in organic field-effect transistors (OFET), phototransistors (OPT) and complementary inverters. We demonstrated that thermal annealing and duration has high impact in OFET performances based on a fullerene derivative called ICBA. The devices electron mobility enhanced upon HMDS and OTS treated SiO2 surface and reached 0.1 cm2V-1s-1, which is the highest reported value in literature. We have provided evidence for the influence of the order at the supramolecular level in the semiconducting material (PDIF-CN2) on the performance of OPTs. We compared solution processed single crystalline PDIF-CN2 fibers and multifiber assemblies with spin-coated thin films, which revealed that the former exhibited good electron mobility up to 2 cm2s-1V-1. The improved fiber crystallinity allows efficient collection of photogenerated excitons, results in the highest reported responsivity R (>5 × 103 AW-1), and photoswitching ratio P (>2 × 103), which are to date the highest reported in literature for PDI-single crystal OPTs. Finally, we have performed for the first time new multifunctional devices combining an ambipolar polymer (DPPT-TT) with inserted diarylethene molecules in its matrix. The fabricated OFET and organic complementary inverters were optically controlled. The resultant inverters gain values are tuned by ultraviolet and visible light irradiation, reaching 504, which is higher than those reported in literature (86). These findings qualify them as promising potential candidates for the construction of high-performance integrated logic circuits and memory chips.

Der erste Teil der Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit ultraschnellen Relaxationsprozessen in quasi-eindimensionalen organischen Molekülkristallen. Als Modellsystem wird das Perylenderivat MePTCDI untersucht. Mit verschiedenen Methoden der optischen Ultrakurzzeit-Spektroskopie werden Prozesse der Exzitonen- und Phononenrelaxation in der Zeit-Domäne untersucht. Die dafür aufgebauten Experimente erreichen eine Zeitauflösung von 20 Femtosekunden. Durch optische Anregung der niedrigsten elektronischen Übergänge werden in einem organischen Molekülkristall freie Exzitonen mit Wellenvektor k=0 gebildet. Dabei werden gleichzeitig zahlreiche intramolekulare und intermolekulare Schwingungsfreiheitsgrade angeregt. Die Anregung mit fs-Laserpulsen führt zum Aufbau kohärenter Schwingungswellenpakete. Es werden sowohl hochenergetische Oszillationen intramolekularer Vibrationen beobachtet, als auch erstmalig niedrigenergetische Oszillationen, die von Gittervibrationen (Phononen) stammen. Die kohärenten Vibrationen im elektronischen Grundzustand klingen bei Raumtemperatur im Bereich einiger Pikosekunden ab. Durch die optische Anregung mit fs-Laserpulsen wird nicht nur phononische Kohärenz, sondern auch elektronische Kohärenz der optischen Übergänge induziert. Die elektronische Kohärenz klingt mit der Dephasierungszeit T2 ab. Trotz der hohen Zeitauflösung war es letztendlich nicht möglich, die Dephasierung des niedrigsten exzitonischen Übergangs zeitlich aufzulösen - sie liegt jedoch im Bereich 17fs < T2 < 52fs. Die energetische Relaxation der freien Exzitonen zu den relaxierten, emittierenden Exzitonenzuständen erfolgt mit einer Zeitkonstante von ca. 50fs. Von diesen relaxierten Zuständen erfolgt die energetische Abregung in den elektronischen Grundzustand im ns-Bereich. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit werden Untersuchungen an selbst-assemblierten Monoschichten (SAM) photochromer Moleküle vorgestellt. Als Modellsystem dienen Azobenzen-funktionalisierte Thiole auf Gold (111). Es konnten hochgeordnete Monoschichten dieser photochromen Moleküle erzielt werden, allerdings sind die bisherigen Schichten aufgrund der dichten Packung nicht photoaktivierbar. Mit Hilfe von Raster-Mikroskopie und Infrarot-Spektroskopie werden diese ultradünnen Schichten strukturell untersucht. Es wird ein kommensurates Wachstum mit zwei Molekülen in der nahezu rechteckigen Einheitszelle beobachtet, wobei die laubbaumförmigen Moleküle nahezu senkrecht auf der Oberfläche stehen. Als weitere Methode wurde die Generation der zweiten Harmonischen (Second Harmonic Generation, SHG) angewendet. Diese Technik eröffnet prinzipiell die Möglichkeit, photostimuliertes Schalten der Schicht zeitaufgelöst zu untersuchen. / The first part of this thesis is devoted to ultrafast relaxation processes in quasi-one-dimensional organic molecular crystals. Crystalline samples of the perylene derivative MePTCDI are employed as a model system. Processes concerning the excitonic and phononic relaxation are investigated in time domain using various experimental techniques of optical ultrafast spectroscopy. The experimental setups attain a time-resolution of 20 femtoseconds. Free excitons at wavevector k=0 are formed in a molecular crystal by optical excitation of the lowest electronic transitions. Thereby, various intramolecular and intermolecular vibrational degrees of freedom are excited simultaneously. The excitation by fs-laser pulses results in the composition of coherent vibrational wave packets. Both, higher-energetic oscillations caused by intramolecular vibrations (internal phonons) and, for the first time in a quasi-one-dimensional organic system, lower-energetic modulations which are related to coherent lattice phonons (external phonons) are observed. The coherence of both types of phonons in the electronic ground state is damped at room temperature within a few ps. Besides phononic coherence, optical excitation by fs-laser pulses additionally induces electronic coherence of the optical transitions. The electronic coherence decays with the dephasing time T2. In spite of the high time-resolution, finally it was not possible to time resolve the dephasing of the lowest excitonic transition - however, we can estimated it to be in the range of 17fs < T2 < 52fs. The energetic relaxation of free excitons to the relaxed, emitting exciton states takes place with a time constant of approx. 50fs. The subsequent energetic relaxation to the electronic ground state occurs on a ns-time scale. In the second part, investigations of self-assembled monolayers (SAM) of photochromic molecules are presented. Azobenzene-functionalized thiols on gold (111) are employed as a model system. Highly ordered monolayers of these photochromic molecules could be realized. However, these layers are not photoactive because of dense packing. By use of scanning tunneling microscopy and infra-red spectroscopy the structural properties of these ultrathin layers are investigated. A commensurate growth, yielding a lattice with two molecules within the nearly rectangular unit cell is observed. The molecules, shaped like a broad-leafed tree, are found to stand nearly upright on the surface. Second harmonic generation (SHG) is applied as another experimental method. This technique allows to time resolve photo-stimulated conformational changes of the layers in principle.

The cyclopentadienone-fused dihydropyrenes 46 and 47 were synthesized. The internal methyl resonances, the coupling constants, NICS calculations and X-ray results confirmed that the cyclopentadienone displays antiaromatic character resulting in bond localization in the annulene ring consistent with a 4n-pi fused system. The ring current of the dihydropyrene fragment is reduced by fusion of the antiaromatic system by about 80% of that caused by benzene. The syntheses of the methylfulvene fused dihydropyrene 56 and the phenylfulvene fused dihydropyrene 58 have been accomplished. The calculated and experimental NMR data and NICS calculations all demonstrated that the fulvenes had weak diatropic ring currents and caused bond localizations in the DHP rings, in which phenyl fulvene has a larger effect than that of methyl fulvene. A number of bis-dihydropyrene systems, bis-dihydropyrene ketone 117, bis-benzo[e]dihydropyrene ketone 119, benzo[e]dihydropyrene dihydropyrene ketone 122, bis-benzo[e]dihydropyrene methylene 124 and the benzo[e]dihydropyrene- dihydropyrene acetylene 130, have been synthesized, in which 117, 119 and 124 are homo-systems and 122 and 130 are hetero-systems. The multiple photoswitching properties study found that all of these systems except 130 showed multi-states during the photo opening and photo closing processes, which means that each end of the DHP units photo opens or closes separately rather than synchronously. In the homo switches 117, 119 and 124, the two DHP units act independently, but the relative differentiation is not very significant. On the other hand, the hetero-switch 122 showed fully differentiated photo opening process and almost a pure open-closed intermediate 122’ could be achieved. This is the first example which clearly showed four states in the UV closing process. The relative photo opening and closing rates compared to benzoDHP 36 have also been studied. It was found that while the carbonyl linker largely increased the relative photo opening rate (117, 119 and 122), the methylene linker only increased it slightly (124). The photo closing processes were always fast as usual. The studies of the thermal return reactions of these systems showed that while the carbonyl linker substantially slowed down the thermal return reactions of the DHP units (117, 119 and 122), the methylene linker speeded it up slightly (124). The mono-iron tricarbonyl benzo[e]dihydropyrene complex 152, the bis-iron tricarbonyl benzo[e]dihydropyrene complex 153 and the iron tetracarbonyl dihydropyrene complex 151 were synthesized. The structures of 152 and 153 were determined by X-ray crystallography. The coordinations of iron tricarbonyl moieties to the DHP rings caused a distortion of ca. 30 degree away from the central DHP plane. Coordination also increased bond alternation and reduced ring currents in the DHP rings. 1H-NMR and X-ray studies showed that 152 showed a weak paratropic ring current in the DHP ring. Iron coordination of the DHP completely stopped the photochromic properties of the dihydropyrenes.

The synthesis of benzo[e]dimethyldihydropyrene (BDHP) photoswitches with ter-27, quarter-36, and quinque-28 thiophene oligomers attached on the same side of the switch was achieved using Stille coupling reactions. BDHP photoswitches with bi-75, ter-76 and quinque-77 thiophene oligomers attached directly to the switch on one side, and via a carbonyl spacer on the opposite side of the switch were also synthesized. Dimethyldihydropyrene (DHP) photoswitches with a naphthoyl functional group in the 2 position were synthesized using a Friedel Crafts reaction, and ter-96, quinque-97 and septi-98 thiophene oligomers were attached on opposite sides of the switch using Stille coupling reactions. All compounds were characterized by NMR, IR UV-vis spectroscopy and mass spectrometry. The relative rates of the photo-opening reactions under excess light conditions and the UV closing reactions versus BDHP were measured. Improvements in the photo-opening properties of the oligothiophene functionalized switches compared to BDHP were observed. The most dramatic photo-opening improvement was found for the quinquethienyl substituted DHP switch 97 which photo-opened when irradiated with visible light over 100 times faster than BDHP. UV closing rates were virtually the same as that of BDHP. However the addition of oligothiophenes led to an increase in the thermal closing reaction rates. Compounds with the naphthoyl functional group in the 2 position of DHP were found to have dramatically increased thermal closing rates. The electrochemical properties of oligothiophene functionalized BDHP and naphthoyl functionalized DHP switches in the closed form were studied by cyclic voltammetry and spectroelectrochemistry. During the oxidation cycle, a closing reaction from the cyclophanediene (CPD) form to the DHP form of the switches occurred which prevented the study of the electrochemical properties of the switches in the open form. Conductivity testing was performed on the quinquethienyl substituted DHP switch 97 using a gold interdigitated micro electrode array. The conductivity of undoped 97 was greater in the closed DHP isomer than in the open CPD isomer. Irradiation with red or blue light allowed for repetitive switching between the more highly conducting closed form and the less conducting open form. When electrochemically doped, 97 showed improved conductivity over the undoped form but only the conductivity of the closed doped form could be measured due to electrochemically induced closing.

Les systèmes micro-opto-électro-mécaniques (MOEMS) représentent un atout considérable pour les technologies de demain et démontrent régulièrement leur capacité d'innovation dans tous les domaines de recherches. L'astronomie en profite déjà à travers l'optique adaptative et leur versatilité a récemment permis de développer un nouveau spectro-imageur BATMAN qui verra sa première lumière au Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) à La Palma (Iles Canaries). Le code de contrôle du MOEMS permettant l'automatisation de l'acquisition des spectres a été le point de départ de mon travail au LAM.La partie principale de ce manuscrit traite d'une seconde application imaginée en associant les MOEMS à un matériau photochromique développé à Polytecnico di Milano (Italie) qui peut prendre deux états différenciés par leur transparence. Le MOEMS, initialement utilisé pour la projection d'image, permet de moduler la dose d'énergie lumineuse projeté sur la plaque photochromique qui répond en s'éclaircissant progressivement. Ce procédé permet donc d'enregistrer des images en niveau de gris sur la plaque et notamment des hologrammes générés par ordinateur (CGH) utilisés en métrologie optique. Actuellement, les CGHs utilisés sont binaires, mais notre procédure permet d'enregistrer des CGHs quantifiés en amplitude avec une résolution de 13,68 µm et une précision inférieure à 1% en terme de transparence malgré un éclairage peu homogène. La quantification des CGHs de type Fresnel et Fourier ont été calculés, réalisés et testés avec succès. Deux nouveaux algorithmes de Fourier ont étaient imaginés, réalisés et ont montrés des performances très supérieurs au code usuel de Lee qui est un codage binaire. / Micro-opto-electro-mecanical systems (MOEMS) are primordial tools for future applications in several scientific fields as telecommunications or image display. Astronomy takes also advantage of their great adaptatbility thanks to the development of adaptative optics; a new spectro-imager called BATMAN has recently been develloped to be installed at Telescopio Nazionale Galileo (TNG) in the Canaries Islands. The control of the MOEMS allowing computerizing this processus has been the starting point of my work at the LAM.The main part of this manuscript deals with another application conceived thanks to the association of the characteristics of MOEMS and photosensitive materials developed at Politecnico di Milano (Italy). These materials can be put in two states differentiated by their transparency. The MOEMS, initially used to display images, allows controlling the dose of light projected on the photocrhomic plate which reacts by becoming more and more transparent. This process permit to record Computer Generated Holograms (CGHs) in grayscale which are used in optical metrology. Today, binary CGHs are used but our process allows to record amplitude quantified CGHs with a resolution of 13.68 µm and a precision better than 1% in term of transparency, even with a non homogeneous illumination beam. Comparative studies have shown advantages of quantified CGHs of Fresnel and Fourier families. Two new Fourier algorithms have been conceived thanks to use of the third dimension offered by the control of the transparency. They have been realized and tested succesfully, and have shown much better performances than the current binary coding, so called Lee algorithm.

Der erste Teil der Arbeit beschäftigt sich mit ultraschnellen Relaxationsprozessen in quasi-eindimensionalen organischen Molekülkristallen. Als Modellsystem wird das Perylenderivat MePTCDI untersucht. Mit verschiedenen Methoden der optischen Ultrakurzzeit-Spektroskopie werden Prozesse der Exzitonen- und Phononenrelaxation in der Zeit-Domäne untersucht. Die dafür aufgebauten Experimente erreichen eine Zeitauflösung von 20 Femtosekunden. Durch optische Anregung der niedrigsten elektronischen Übergänge werden in einem organischen Molekülkristall freie Exzitonen mit Wellenvektor k=0 gebildet. Dabei werden gleichzeitig zahlreiche intramolekulare und intermolekulare Schwingungsfreiheitsgrade angeregt. Die Anregung mit fs-Laserpulsen führt zum Aufbau kohärenter Schwingungswellenpakete. Es werden sowohl hochenergetische Oszillationen intramolekularer Vibrationen beobachtet, als auch erstmalig niedrigenergetische Oszillationen, die von Gittervibrationen (Phononen) stammen. Die kohärenten Vibrationen im elektronischen Grundzustand klingen bei Raumtemperatur im Bereich einiger Pikosekunden ab. Durch die optische Anregung mit fs-Laserpulsen wird nicht nur phononische Kohärenz, sondern auch elektronische Kohärenz der optischen Übergänge induziert. Die elektronische Kohärenz klingt mit der Dephasierungszeit T2 ab. Trotz der hohen Zeitauflösung war es letztendlich nicht möglich, die Dephasierung des niedrigsten exzitonischen Übergangs zeitlich aufzulösen - sie liegt jedoch im Bereich 17fs < T2 < 52fs. Die energetische Relaxation der freien Exzitonen zu den relaxierten, emittierenden Exzitonenzuständen erfolgt mit einer Zeitkonstante von ca. 50fs. Von diesen relaxierten Zuständen erfolgt die energetische Abregung in den elektronischen Grundzustand im ns-Bereich. Im zweiten Teil der Arbeit werden Untersuchungen an selbst-assemblierten Monoschichten (SAM) photochromer Moleküle vorgestellt. Als Modellsystem dienen Azobenzen-funktionalisierte Thiole auf Gold (111). Es konnten hochgeordnete Monoschichten dieser photochromen Moleküle erzielt werden, allerdings sind die bisherigen Schichten aufgrund der dichten Packung nicht photoaktivierbar. Mit Hilfe von Raster-Mikroskopie und Infrarot-Spektroskopie werden diese ultradünnen Schichten strukturell untersucht. Es wird ein kommensurates Wachstum mit zwei Molekülen in der nahezu rechteckigen Einheitszelle beobachtet, wobei die laubbaumförmigen Moleküle nahezu senkrecht auf der Oberfläche stehen. Als weitere Methode wurde die Generation der zweiten Harmonischen (Second Harmonic Generation, SHG) angewendet. Diese Technik eröffnet prinzipiell die Möglichkeit, photostimuliertes Schalten der Schicht zeitaufgelöst zu untersuchen. / The first part of this thesis is devoted to ultrafast relaxation processes in quasi-one-dimensional organic molecular crystals. Crystalline samples of the perylene derivative MePTCDI are employed as a model system. Processes concerning the excitonic and phononic relaxation are investigated in time domain using various experimental techniques of optical ultrafast spectroscopy. The experimental setups attain a time-resolution of 20 femtoseconds. Free excitons at wavevector k=0 are formed in a molecular crystal by optical excitation of the lowest electronic transitions. Thereby, various intramolecular and intermolecular vibrational degrees of freedom are excited simultaneously. The excitation by fs-laser pulses results in the composition of coherent vibrational wave packets. Both, higher-energetic oscillations caused by intramolecular vibrations (internal phonons) and, for the first time in a quasi-one-dimensional organic system, lower-energetic modulations which are related to coherent lattice phonons (external phonons) are observed. The coherence of both types of phonons in the electronic ground state is damped at room temperature within a few ps. Besides phononic coherence, optical excitation by fs-laser pulses additionally induces electronic coherence of the optical transitions. The electronic coherence decays with the dephasing time T2. In spite of the high time-resolution, finally it was not possible to time resolve the dephasing of the lowest excitonic transition - however, we can estimated it to be in the range of 17fs < T2 < 52fs. The energetic relaxation of free excitons to the relaxed, emitting exciton states takes place with a time constant of approx. 50fs. The subsequent energetic relaxation to the electronic ground state occurs on a ns-time scale. In the second part, investigations of self-assembled monolayers (SAM) of photochromic molecules are presented. Azobenzene-functionalized thiols on gold (111) are employed as a model system. Highly ordered monolayers of these photochromic molecules could be realized. However, these layers are not photoactive because of dense packing. By use of scanning tunneling microscopy and infra-red spectroscopy the structural properties of these ultrathin layers are investigated. A commensurate growth, yielding a lattice with two molecules within the nearly rectangular unit cell is observed. The molecules, shaped like a broad-leafed tree, are found to stand nearly upright on the surface. Second harmonic generation (SHG) is applied as another experimental method. This technique allows to time resolve photo-stimulated conformational changes of the layers in principle.