Thesis (Ph. D.)--University of Rochester. Dept. of Physics and Astronomy, 2012
The field of electronics has an immense impact on our day to day life. Efficient charge transfer at the semiconductor and electrode interface is one of the most crucial issues for the performance of any electronic device. A lot of effort has been spent to address this issue. A counter intuitive phenomenon of insertion of a thin metal oxide film at the semiconductor and electrode interface has gained momentum recently. In the current thesis, based on results of several experiments, I will propose a prominent mechanism of performance improvement with such insertions. I will also demonstrate the applicability of such metal oxide thin films in many other systems. First, I will introduce the scope of the thesis in detail. I will also introduce the background to understand the electronic structure of organic semiconductors, along with the interface formation at the semiconductor/metal interface. Then, I will discuss the measurement techniques. I will start the discussion on results with the insertion of a thin layer of MoOx (a transition metal oxide) between indium tin oxide (ITO) and two well studied organic semiconductors. I will also demonstrate that the optimum insertion layer thickness is just a few nanometers. I will illustrate the importance of high vacuum during the deposition of such insertion layers. I will also discuss the method to recover work function of air exposed MoOx ilms. I will further demonstrate that a thin layer of MoOx can be utilized to dope C60 strongly p-type. Then, I will discuss the application of MoOx insertion layer in CdTe based solar cells. I will further show the application of MoOx and organic double-inter-layer in organic devices. At the end, I will discuss an intense oxygen plasma treatment on ITO films and demonstrate a method to achieve high work function ITO films. The mechanism of high work function and application in devices will also be explained in detail. Finally, I will summarize the thesis.
