SeP hole injection layer for devices based on organic materials

Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (CNPq)

Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (FAPESP)

Selenium : phosphour (SeP) thin films produced by thermal sublimation in vacuum are used as hole injection layers (HILs) in tris(8-hydroxyquinolinato) aluminum (Alq(3)) based devices. These devices are constructed in the sandwich structure substrate/HIL/Alq(3)/Al using three different substrate electrodes: fluorine doped tin oxide, Au, and indium tin oxide. The obtained electrical measurements indicate a better injection of positive charge carriers using the SeP layer. Syncrotron radiation x-ray photoelectron experiments allowed the determination of the work function of SeP. The obtained value (Phi = 5.6 eV) is close to the HOMO energy level of Alq(3) and is consistent with the better positive charge injection. The thermionic injection process is suggested to be responsible for the charge injection from the different substrate electrodes into the SeP material. From transmittance measurements it was possible to calculate the refractive index and absorption coefficient as a function of wavelength, and to estimate the optical band gap (E-g = 1.9 eV). The latter and the measured work function were used in the construction of an energy level diagram of the SeP thin films used as HILs in organic devices. The hole injection efficiency of the produced films are compared with results using poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT : PSS).