E.G. Obbard

Degradation of small-molecule organic solar cells

Small-molecule organic solar cells with a structure of indium tin oxide (ITO)\tris-8-hydroxy-quinolinato aluminum (Alq3) (2nm)\fullerene (C60) (40nm)\copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) (32nm)\Au (40nm) were fabricated. The shelf lifetime of unencapsulated devices was over 1500h, and the power conversion efficiency reached 0.76% under AM1.5G (air mass 1.5 global) 75mW∕cm2. The long lifetime was attributed to the inverted structure compared to the conventional ITO\CuPc\C60\buffer\Al structure since the former could effectively protect C60 from the diffusion of oxygen and modify interfacial electrical properties. The introduction of a 2nm Alq3 layer into the cells enhanced the power conversion efficiency by more than 20 times. The presence of the thin Alq3 film on the ITO substrate lowered the substrate work function and hence increased the electric field in the organic layers, which was beneficial to the collection of free carriers. The reasons for the degradation of such kind of organic solar cells are analyzed ...

Buffer-layer-induced barrier reduction: Role of tunneling in organic light-emitting devices

Based on the WKB approximation of the tunneling model, we calculate the J–V characteristics of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) having buffer layers of different thickness. The results show how the insertion of a buffer layer with proper thickness lowers the OLED turn-on voltage. Further calculation suggests some parameters, such as the resistivity ratio and the position of the conduction band minimum of the buffer layer relative to the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital of the organic layer, are important in selecting a buffer material. A quantitative estimation of the optimal buffer layer thickness is also presented to serve as a guide to device design. The model is validated by comparison of its predictions to experimental results.

Enhancement of electron injection in organic light-emitting devices using an Ag/LiF cathode

A LiF-buffered silver cathode has been used in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) with structure indium–tin–oxide/N,N′-bis-(1-naphthl)-diphenyl-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-diamine (50 nm)/Alq3 (100 nm)/cathode. The efficiency of electron injection from the cathode is strongly dependent on the thickness of the LiF buffer layer. While a LiF layer thinner than 1.0 nm leads to higher turn-on voltage and decreased electroluminescent (EL) efficiency, a LiF layer of 3.0 nm significantly enhances the electron injection and results in lower turn-on voltage and increased EL efficiency. A brightness of 16 000 cd/m2 and EL efficiency of 4.8 cd/A can be achieved with an Ag/LiF cathode. This dependence of electron injection on the LiF thickness is quite different from that reported for OLEDs with a Al/LiF cathode, but can be well understood using the tunneling model.

Sodium stearate, an effective amphiphilic molecule buffer material between organic and metal layers in organic light-emitting devices

Tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3)-based organic light-emitting devices using an amphiphilic molecule sodium stearate (NaSt) layer between aluminum (Al) cathode and Alq3 have been fabricated. By comparing the devices with those containing a LiF buffer layer, the results demonstrate that both have almost the same high electroluminescent (EL) brightness but the former is more stable. The amphiphilic property of NaSt is considered as the main reason for this enhancement.

Systematic study on pulse parameters in fabricating porous silicon-layered structures by pulse electrochemical etching

Pulse electrochemical etching was used to improve the quality of porous silicon (PS) layers. Although alternative PS layers of different porosities have been realized by this etching technique, there is no systematic study on the influence of different etching pulse parameters on PS during the etching process. We test various combinations of pulse parameters, including duty cycle and duration, in fabricating PS-layered structures. The optical thickness and actual thickness of the PS structures fabricated are investigated by means of reflectance spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy. It is found that reducing the duty cycle and pulse duration of the pulse can promote the formation of PS layers with a large optical thickness and high refractive index. Meanwhile, the uniformity of PS is also improved. The duty cycle of 1:10–1:20 and pulse duration of 0.1–0.2 ms can result in the best uniformity and smoothness for the highly doped p-Si wafers. We believe that our work could set the foundation for further improvement of pulse electrochemical etching.

Non-doped red emission: A solution for bias-independent red emission

The bias dependence of the emission color of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) was investigated. We fabricated four red emission devices with different structures. The general bias-dependent color shift of the emissions was characterized for the first three devices. The color shift can be explained by the presence of either two different recombination zones, or a doped layer composed of two emitting materials. By avoiding the structures that induce the color shift, a bias-independent red emitting device was fabricated.