We studied the effect of the substrate materials on the solution-mediated vacuum deposition of organic semiconductor rubrene using liquid flux with a low vapor pressure. We found that bis-2-ethylhexyl phthalate was suitable as the liquid flux. It was revealed that the microscopic crystal shape completely changed when different substrates were used. This result clearly indicates the nucleation of the crystals occurs on the substrate surface submerged in the solution. Epitaxially oriented needle crystals as long as 5 mm were obtained by using Au(111) substrate. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.