We have studied optical properties of near-infrared (NIR) spectra and birefringence of the manganese phthalocyanine (MnPc) thin films. The morphology of the MnPc thin film grown on KCl (0 0 1) substrates was observed by using an atomic force microscope. The NIR spectral range of 1.0-1.7 mu m was studied in this study, because that of 1.3-1.5 mu m is known as an optical communication wavelength. The birefringence was measured with changing the growth condition of a deposition rate and a substrate temperature. The birefringence of the film was most affected by the deposition rate. Crown Copyright (C) 2008 Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.