Optical and electrical properties of bi-layers organic devices

Abstract

The influence of interfacial charges on the device characteristics of bi-layers structure LEDs with poly[5-methoxy-2-octyloxy-1,4-phenylenevinylene] (MO-PPV) as active polymer layer is investigated. The concept to improve device performance is presented using: a diacetate cellulose (DAC) and a new synthetized 5-{2-(2-chloroethoxy)ethoxy}-2-{( E )-(2-pyridyl)azo}phenol (PDEG) components. The DAC and mixed (DAC+PDEG) layers were inserted between indium tin oxide (ITO) and MO-PPV polymer. The optical properties (UV-Vis) of MO-PPV, PDEG and mixed (DAC+PDEG) in solutions were studied and compared to those on thin films. Detailed current-voltage measurements of the bi-layers devices showed improvements of the threshold voltage (V th ) of the ITO/(DAC+PDEG)/MO-PPV/Al device attributed to the enhancement of carriers injection and transport resulted from the modified electrode structures. Conduction mechanisms of structure LEDs were matched with space-charge-limited current (SCLC) one. The impedance spectra for all devices can be discussed in terms of an equivalent circuit model designed as a parallel resistor R p and capacitor C p network in series with resistor R s . The ITO/(DAC+PDEG)/MO-PPV/Al device showed the lowest impedance attributed to the removal of contaminants and to changes in the work function of ITO. The frequency-dependent electrical properties of the ITO/(DAC+PDEG)/MO-PPV/Al structure is analyzed by impedance spectroscopy as function of bias. We have extracted numerical values of the equivalent circuit model parameters by fitting experimental data. Their evolution with bias voltages has shown that the SCLC mechanism is characterized by an exponential trap distribution.