Organic solar cell research has developed during the past 30 years, but especially in the last decade it has attracted scientific and economic interest triggered by a rapid increase in power conversion efficiencies. This was achieved by the introduction of new materials, improved materials engineering, and more sophisticated device structures. Today, solar power conversion efficiencies in excess of 3% have been accomplished with several device concepts. Though efficiencies of these thin-film organicdevices have not yet reached those of their inorganic counterparts (η ≈ 10–20%); the perspective of cheap production (employing, e.g., roll-to-roll processes) drives the development of organic photovoltaic devices further in a dynamic way. The two competitive production techniques used today are either wet solution processing or dry thermal evaporation of the organic constituents. The field of organic solar cells profited well from the development of light-emitting diodes based on similar technologies, which have entered the market recently. We review here the current status of the field of organic solar cells and discuss different production technologies as well as study the important parameters to improve their performance.

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/S0884291400094498

Organic solar cells: An overview

This article provides a review about electroluminescence from organic materials and deals in detail with organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), light-emitting electro-chemical cells (LECs) and electrogenerated chemilumi-nescence (ECL) reflecting different electrooptical appli-cations of conjugated materials. It is written from an organic chemist's point of view and pays particular attention to the development of organic materials involved in corresponding devices. In recent years a substantial amount of both academic and industrial research has been directed to organic electroluminescence in an effort to improve the processability and tunability of organic materials and the longevity of OLEDs and LECs. On the eve of the commercialization of organic electrolumi-nescence this review provides an overview of lifetimes and efficiencies attained and reflects materials and device concepts developed over the last decade. In this context electrogenerated chemiluminescence is discussed with respect to its importance as a versatile tool to simulate the fundamental electrochemical processes in OLEDs.

The electroluminescence of organic materials

Most present-day semiconductor devices use inorganic crystalline materials, with single-crystalline silicon dominating other materials like GaAs by about a factor of 1000. Despite the advantages of single-crystalline inorganic semiconductors like high room-temperature mobility (up to 1000 cm2/(V s)) and high stability, these materials are less suitable for low-cost and large-area applications. Additionally, silicon is an indirect semiconductor and therefore is not well suited for optoelectronic applications like light-emitting diodes. Solar cells from silicon are expensive and require a large amount of energy for their fabrication, leading to a long energy payback time. As an alternative, organic semiconductors have recently gained much attention (for review articles, see refs 1 -3 (OLEDs), ref 4 (organic electronics in general), and refs 5 and 6 (organic solar cells)). Originally, much of the research concentrated on single crystals, which can have mobilities of a few cm2/(V s) at room temperature and even much higher values at low temperature, as shown in the pioneering work of Karl et al.7 However, for practical applications, thinfilm organic semiconductors with disordered morphology, such as evaporated small-molecule compounds or polymers processed from solution, are prevailing. Organic semiconductors are already broadly applied as photoconductors for copiers and laser printers. * Corresponding author. E-mail: leo@iapp.de. Web address: www.iapp.de. 1233 Chem. Rev. 2007, 107, 1233−1271

Highly efficient organic devices based on electrically doped transport layers.

Electroluminescent devices based on organic materials are of considerable interest owing to their attractive characteristics and potential applications to flat panel displays. After a brief overview of the device construction and operating principles, a review is presented on recent progress in organic electroluminescent materials and devices. Small molecular materials are described with emphasis on their material issues pertaining to charge transport, color, and luminance efficiencies. The chemical nature of electrode/organic interfaces and its impact on device performance are then discussed. Particular attention is paid to recent advances in interface engineering that is of paramount importance to modify the chemical and electronic structure of the interface. The topics in this report also include recent development on the enhancement of electron transport capability in organic materials by doping and the increase in luminance efficiency by utilizing electrophosphorescent materials. Of particular interest for the subject of this review are device reliability and its relationship with material characteristics and interface structures. Important issues relating to display fabrication and the status of display development are briefly addressed as well.

https://ir.nctu.edu.tw:443/bitstream/11536/28337/1/000179449700001.pdf

Recent progress of molecular organic electroluminescent materials and devices

Spiro Compounds for Organic Optoelectronics

White Light Emission from Organic LEDs Utilizing Spiro Compounds with High‐Temperature Stability

A one-dimensional numerical model for the quantitative simulation of multilayer organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) is presented. It encompasses bipolar charge carrier drift with field-dependent mobilities and space charge effects, charge carrier diffusion, trapping, bulk and interface recombination, singlet exciton diffusion and quenching effects. Using field-dependent mobility data measured on unipolar single layer devices, reported energetic levels of highest occupied and lowest unoccupied molecular orbitals, and realistic assumptions for experimentally not direct accessible parameters, current density and luminance of state-of-the-art undoped vapor-deposited two- and three-layer OLEDs with maximum luminance exceeding 10000 cd/m2 were successfully simulated over 4 orders of magnitude. For an adequate description of these multilayer OLEDs with energetic barriers at interfaces between two adjacent organic layers, the model also includes a simple theory of charge carrier barrier crossing and recombinati...

A quantitative numerical model of multilayer vapor-deposited organic light emitting diodes

The efficiency of organic light-emitting devices is significantly influenced by the performance of the electron- injecting contact. Lowering the energetic barrier between the metal contact and the lowest unoccupied molecular or- bital of the adjacent organic electron transport layer should facilitate the injection of negative charge carriers, and, thus, improve the electroluminescence yield by increas- ing the electron density in the emitting zone. Therefore, it is widely believed that lowering the work function of the cathode metal will improve the quantum efficiency of the devices and, concomitantly, reduce the operating voltage. Here, we report on measurements of devices with tris(8- hydroxyquinolinolato)aluminum-(III) as electron transport and emissive layer. The latter layer is contacted with a variety of chemically very different cathode metals (including some lanthanides), which cover a range from 2:63 eV up to 4:70 eV on the work function axis. We demonstrate the existence of an efficiency maximum at a work function of about 3: 7e V which, to the best of our knowledge, has not been reported yet. These results are of practical importance with respect to the choice of pure cathode metals for organic electrolumines- cent display applications.

/pdf/impact-of-the-cathode-metal-work-function-on-the-performance-1m82fnk533.pdf

Impact of the cathode metal work function on the performance of vacuum-deposited organic light emitting-devices

Work function of ITO substrates and band-offsets at the TPD/ITO interface determined by photoelectron spectroscopy

We investigate electron injection and transport in single-layer devices of 8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum sandwiched between two electrodes. Electrodes comprising a thin lithium fluoride layer are compared with co-evaporated magnesium–silver cathodes and with pure aluminum cathodes. By employing both transient and quasistatic current measurements, the impact of the LiF-layer thickness on electron injection is investigated. It is demonstrated that contacts comprising 0.1–0.2 nm LiF and an aluminum capping layer are able to sustain space-charge-limited currents in 8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum. Further, steady-state current–voltage measurements as a function of temperature are discussed with respect to trap distributions in 8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum.

F. Steuber

Papers

White Light Emission from Organic LEDs Utilizing Spiro Compounds with High‐Temperature Stability

A quantitative numerical model of multilayer vapor-deposited organic light emitting diodes

Impact of the cathode metal work function on the performance of vacuum-deposited organic light emitting-devices

Work function of ITO substrates and band-offsets at the TPD/ITO interface determined by photoelectron spectroscopy

Space-charge-limited electron currents in 8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum