Work function mapping of MoO_x thin-films for application in electronic devices

The knowledge of the structural and electronic surface morphology is imperative to fully understand the charge transfer at interfaces of electronic devices, such as in photovoltaic (PV) cells. To this aim, here, we use low-energy electron microscopy to probe the unoccupied states of post-annealed MoO_x thin-films grown in oxygen excess (x∼3.16) and deficient (x∼2.57) environments. 2D work function maps are correlated with the surface topography extracted by mirror electron microscopy (MEM) mode, which show homogenous surface morphology and electronic levels for the specimen with x∼2.57, while it demonstrates nanoaggregates with different work functions on top of flat surface areas for the sample grown with x∼3.16.