Chemical, electronic and structural properties of ultra thin films of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) grown on hydrogen passivated silicon (1 1 1) surfaces were investigated in situ by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS), ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS), X-ray photoelectron diffraction (XPD) and electron diffraction (LEED). The early stages of copper phthalocyanine adsorption (1-2) were characterized by the saturation of surface defects and by a flat lying disposition on the surface. Upon further CuPc coverage, the passivation of Si surfaces resulted in the molecule taking a standing position in films. The molecular packing deduced from these studies appears very close to the one in the bulk ce. phase of CuPc. The work function of the films was found to be decreasing during the growth and was correlated with the molecular orientation. (C) 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.