Organic photosensitive optoelectronic devices with transparent electrodes

• US 6,352,777 B1
• Filed: 08/19/1998
• Issued: 03/05/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Trustees of Princeton University (Princeton University)
• Original Assignee: The Trustees of Princeton University (Princeton University)
• Inventors: Forrest, Stephen R., Bulovic, Vladimir
• Primary Examiner(s): YAMNITZKY, MARIE ROSE
• Application Number:
  US09/136,342
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• Field of Search: 250/200, 250/215, 136/243, 136/252, 136/263, 257/184, 257/431, 257/449, 257/461, 257/464, 313/523, 313/540, 428/411.1, 428/458, 428/469, 428/913
• US Class Current: 428/411.1
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 10/00 Nanotechnology for information processing, storage or transmission, e.g. quantum computing or single electron logic
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/20 comprising organic-organic junctions, e.g. donor-acceptor junctions
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/211 comprising multiple junctions, e.g. double heterojunctions
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/451 comprising a metal-semiconductor-metal [m-s-m] structure
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/57 comprising multiple junctions, e.g. tandem PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/146 poly N-vinylcarbazol; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/211 Fullerenes, e.g. C60
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/215 comprising substituents, e.g. PCBM
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/30 Coordination compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/311 Phthalocyanine
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/60 Organic compounds having low molecular weight H10K85/10 - H10K85/50 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/621 Aromatic anhydride or imide compounds, e.g. perylene tetra-carboxylic dianhydride or perylene tetracarboxylic di-imide
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/913 Material designed to be responsive to temperature, light, moisture
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24835 including developable image or soluble portion in coating or impregnation [e.g., safety paper, etc.]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/31504 Composite [nonstructural laminate]

Abstract

An organic photosensitive optoelectronic device optimized to enhance desired characteristics such as external quantum efficiency is described. The photosensitive optoelectronic device has at least two transparent electrodes and one or more organic photoconductive layers disposed between the transparent electrodes. In other embodiments photosensitive optoelectronic devices with multilayer photoconductive structures and photosensitive optoelectronic devices with a reflective layer are disclosed.

Claims

1. An organic photosensitive optoelectronic device comprising:

a substrate having a first major surface and a second major surface;

two transparent metal substitute electrode layers in superposed relationship upon said first major surface of said substrate; and

four photoconductive organic layers, having an inner pair and an outer pair, disposed between said two transparent metal substitute electrode layers, wherein said inner pair of said four photoconductive organic layers consists of a pair of photoconductive organic layers selected to form a photovoltaic heterojunction and selected to have spectral sensitivity in a specified region of the electromagnetic spectrum, and wherein said inner pair of said four photoconductive organic layers comprises aluminum tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) and 4,4′

-bis[N-(1-napthyl)-N-phenyl-amino]biphenyl.

2. The device of claim 1 wherein each of said outer pair of said four photoconductive organic layers comprises a material selected from the group consisting of copper phthalocyanine, perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride and 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic-bis-benzimidazole.

3. An organic photosensitive optoelectronic device comprising:

a substrate having a first major surface and a second major surface;

two transparent electrode layers in superposed relationship upon said first major surface of said substrate; and

only one pair of photoconductive organic layers selected to form a photovoltaic heterojunction disposed between said two electrode layers,

wherein the only one pair of photoconductive organic layers is selected from the group consisting of a copper phthalocyanine layer with a perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride layer, and a copper phthalocyanine layer with a 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic-bis-benzimidazole layer.

4. The device of claim 3 wherein the pair of photoconductive organic layers consists of a copper phthalocyanine layer with a perylenetetracarboxylic dianhydride layer.

5. The device of claim 3 wherein the pair of photoconductive organic layers consists of a copper phthalocyanine layer with a 3,4,9,10-perylenetetracarboxylic-bis-benzimidazole layer.

6. The device of claim 3 wherein said transparent electrode layers consist of a conductive oxide.

7. The device of claim 6 wherein said conductive oxide is selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, tin oxide, gallium indium oxide, zinc oxide and zinc indium oxide.

8. The device of claim 7 wherein said transparent electrode layers consist of a conductive polymer.

9. The device of claim 8 wherein said conductive polymer consists of polyaniline.