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Electronic Level Alignment at an Indium Tin Oxide/PbI2 Interface and Its Applications for Organic Electronic Devices
Qiaogang Song1,2, Tong Lin1,2, Xue Sun1,2
1State Key Laboratory of Luminescence and Applications, Changchun Institute of Optics, Fine Mechanics and Physics , Chinese Academy of Sciences , Changchun 130033 , P. R. China.
ACS Applied Materials & Interfaces
|February 22, 2018
Summary
Lead iodide (PbI2) functions as an effective anode buffer layer in organic electronics, enhancing device performance. This study demonstrates its role in improving organic solar cells, OLEDs, and photodetectors.
Area of Science:
- Materials Science
- Organic Electronics
- Surface Science
Background:
- Electronic level alignment is crucial for efficient charge injection/extraction in organic electronic devices.
- Indium tin oxide (ITO) is a common anode material, but its interface with organic layers can limit performance.
- Lead iodide (PbI2) is explored as a potential interfacial layer to optimize device characteristics.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the electronic level alignment at the ITO/PbI2 interface using ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy.
- To evaluate the impact of the ITO/PbI2 interface on the performance of organic solar cells (OSCs), organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), and near-infrared organic photodetectors (NIR-OPDs).
- To understand the role of PbI2 as an anode buffer layer and a template layer for specific material growth.
Main Methods:
- Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) was employed to analyze the electronic structure at the ITO/PbI2 interface.
- Fabrication and characterization of OSCs, thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) OLEDs, and NIR-OPDs incorporating the ITO/PbI2 interface.
- Analysis of device performance metrics including power conversion efficiency (PCE), turn-on voltage, power efficiency, external quantum efficiency (EQE), and detectivity.
Main Results:
- UPS revealed n-type conductivity for PbI2 and a downward energy level shift at the ITO/PbI2 interface.
- OSC PCE increased from 1.05% to 3.82%.
- TADF OLED power efficiency improved from 6.26 to 18.60 lm/W with reduced turn-on voltage.
- NIR-OPD absorption was enhanced, leading to EQE of 26.7% and detectivity of 9.96 × 10^11 jones at 900 nm.
- PbI2 facilitated the growth of the triclinic phase of lead phthalocyanine (PbPc).
Conclusions:
- The ITO/PbI2 interface exhibits favorable electronic properties for efficient hole injection/extraction, making PbI2 a suitable anode buffer layer.
- The integration of PbI2 significantly boosts the performance of various organic electronic devices.
- PbI2 serves as an effective template layer for growing specific crystalline phases, further enhancing device capabilities, particularly in NIR organic photodetectors.
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