A study of interfaces between organic and metal materials and their application in polymer light-emitting diodes and polymer photovoltaic solar cells.

In the past few decades, it attracts a lot of attention for the researches of organic semiconductor due to its new and interesting properties, compared with conventional soft material and inorganic semiconductor. Several kinds of electronic devices such as light emitting diodes, thin film transistors and photovoltaic solar cell based on these organic semiconductors are also proposed and studied. This dissertation will focus on interface between organic and metal, which is one of the mysteries and critical issues remaining in the material properties and limiting the device performance. In the first chapter, a brief review and introduction of the organic semiconductor and organic electronics will be described. The purpose is to introduce the research background, motivation and methodology. Chapter two demonstrates the concept of top-emitting light-emitting diodes and the research focus on the interfaces between the light-emitting polymer and electrodes. An interfacial layer is introduced to improve the hole-injection from the anode. Except for alternating the electrode architecture, surface treatment or modification also have significant influences on interfacial electronic structure. Chapter three describes the discovery of solvent treatment on top of the light-emitting polymer and its application on organic electrophosphorescent devices. To further study the interfaces in organic electronics, an interface layer of sol-gel processed titanium oxide is introduced into organic electronic devices. Chapter four describes the amorphous titanium oxide and its application on polymer light-emitting diodes, while Chapter five demonstrates nanocrystalline titanium dioxide and its application in both light-emitting devices and polymer photovoltaic solar cells.