Photochemical deterioration of the organic/metal contacts in organic optoelectronic devices

We study the effect of exposure to light on a wide range of organic/metal contacts that are commonly used in organic optoelectronic devices and found that irradiation by light in the visible and UV range results in a gradual deterioration in their electrical properties. This photo-induced contact degradation reduces both charge injection (i.e., from the metal to the organic layer) and charge extraction (i.e., from the organic layer to the metal). X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) measurements reveal detectable changes in the interface characteristics after irradiation, indicating that the photo-degradation is chemical in nature. Changes in XPS characteristics after irradiation suggests a possible reduction in bonds associated with organic-metal complexes. Measurements of interfacial adhesion strength using the four-point flexure technique reveal a decrease in organic/metal adhesion in irradiated samples, consistent with a decrease in metal-organic bond density. The results shed the light on a new material degradation mechanism that appears to have a wide presence in organic/metal interfaces in general, and which likely plays a key role in limiting the stability of various organic optoelectronic devices such as organic light emitting devices, organic solar cells, and organic photo-detectors.