Oehzelt, M.; Akaike, K.; Koch, N.; Heimel, G.: Energy-level alignment at organic heterointerfaces. Science Advances 1 (2015), p. e1501127/1-8
10.1126/sciadv.1501127
Open Access Version
Abstract:
Today’s champion organic (opto-)electronic devices comprise an ever-increasing number of different organicsemiconductor layers. The functionality of these complex heterostructures largely derives from the relative alignment of the frontier molecular-orbital energies in each layer with respect to those in all others. Despite the technological relevance of the energy-level alignment at organic heterointerfaces, and despite continued scientific interest, a reliable model that can quantitatively predict the full range of phenomena observed at such interfaces is notably absent. We identify the limitations of previous attempts to formulate such a model and highlight inconsistencies in the interpretation of the experimental data they were based on. We then develop a theoretical framework, which we demonstrate to accurately reproduce experiment. Applying this theory, a comprehensive overview of all possible energy-level alignment scenarios that can be encountered at organic heterojunctions is finally given. These results will help focus future efforts on developing functional organic interfaces for superior device performance.