Luminescence and conduction charge in thin-film electroluminescent devices

The luminescence and conduction currents of a doubly-insulated thin-film electroluminescent device were studied under various excitation conditions. The conduction current waveform was calculated numerically from the luminescence waveform. It was composed of two components: a fast transient component j_fc, which rises and decays rapidly when a pulse is applied, and a dc-like component j_dc, which maintains a constant level during the duration of pulse. The ratio of these components varied considerably with applied voltage. Both the slow response of luminescence to voltage change and the change in j_fc when the excitation conditions were changed from repetitive pulses to a single pulse suggest an accumulation of charges inside the electroluminescence layer. This accumulation causes a space charge effect which explains the dominance of j_fc in the high-brightness region. The fact that luminescence intensity in this region is not related to the amplitude of individual pulses, but rather to the average amplitude of the pulse train also indicates that the space-charge-induced internal electric field is the main factor in accelerating the carriers which excite the luminescence centers. It was found that the two conduction current components showed similar characteristics in singly-insulated devices.     

Luminescent impurity doping trends in alternating-current thin-film electroluminescent phosphors

The doping properties of three alternating-current thin-film electroluminescent (ACTFEL) phosphor host/luminescent impurity systems, ZnS:Mn, SrS:Ce, and SrS:Cu, are elucidated, and the ACTFEL device implications of these properties are assessed. Mn is isovalent, Ce is a donor, and Cu is an acceptor. Moreover, Ce is readily ionized in SrS, so that it behaves as a double donor. The distinctly different doping nature of these three luminescent impurities leads to dramatically disparate defect and device physics trends. The donor/acceptor nature of Ce/Cu in SrS results in charge neutrality being achieved in SrS:Ce and SrS:Cu via self-compensation-induced vacancy creation; subsequent defect complexing between oppositely charged luminescent impurities and self-compensation-induced vacancies results in more complex ACTFEL device behaviors such as dynamic space charge, trailing-edge emission, charge collapse, color tuning, and electroluminescence (EL) thermal quenching. In contrast, the isovalent nature of ZnS:Mn leads to more ideal ACTFEL device operation. This suggests that the optimal ACTFEL phosphor luminescent impurity is isovalent.     

Infrared quenching of electroluminescence in ZnS: Mn thin-film electroluminescent structures

Electroluminescence from thin-film electroluminescent devices is found to be quenched after IR irradiation of the devices in the interval between exciting voltage pulses. The IR irradiation decreases the emission intensity in the spectral range 530–540 nm, while increasing it between 640 and 690 nm. These effects are explained by IR-induced charge exchange between the deep centers due to V _S ²⁺ and V _S ⁺ sulfur vacancies, an increase in the concentration of the latter vacancies, and the redistribution of the channels of impact excitation of Mn²⁺ and V _S ⁺ centers in favor of V _S ⁺ centers. The cross section and rate of impact excitation of V _S ⁺ centers, the photoexcitation cross section for V _S ²⁺ centers, the IR radiation absorption coefficient, the internal quantum efficiency of electroluminescence, and the probability of radiative relaxation of Mn²⁺ centers, as well as the electron multiplication factor in the phosphor layer, are evaluated.     

New phenomena of a.c. electroluminescent lines in ZnS:Cu single crystal

Observations under high magnification show that electroluminescent lines in ZnS:Cu single crystal may be in the form of intermittent arrays of tiny bright spots or segments instead of continuous luminescent lines. Three types of internal structures of segmented electroluminescent lines — linear segment type, bamboo joint type, and pearl string type — were recognized.     

Negative differential resistance in thin-film electroluminescent emitters based on zinc sulfide

S-and N-type negative differential resistance (NDR) has been observed in thin-film electroluminescent emitters based on zinc sulfide doped with manganese, and conditions for its emergence have been identified. It has been found that when a negative half-wave of voltage is applied to the nontransparent top electrode, an S-type NDR with a region of decreasing current is observed, and when it is applied to the transparent bottom electrode, the NDR will be N-type. The emergence of NDR is due to space charges which form in the near-cathode and near-anode layers of the phosphor.     

An organic electroluminescent device made from a gadolinium complex

A gadolinium ternary complex, tris(1-phenyl-3-methyl-4-isobutyryl-5-pyrazolone) (phenanthroline) gadolinium [Gd(PMIP)₃(Phen)] was synthesized and used as a light emitting material in the organic electroluminescent (EL) devices. The triple layer device with a structure of indium tin oxide (ITO)/N,N′-diphenyl-N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-diamine (TPD) (20 nm)/Gd(PMIP)₃(Phen) (80 nm)/2, 9-dimethyl-4, 7-diphenyl-1, 10-phenanthroline (bathocuproine or BCP) (20 nm)/Mg: Ag(200 nm)/Ag(100 nm) exhibited green emission peaking at 535 nm. A maximum luminance of 230 cd/m² at 17 V and a peak power efficiency of 0.02 lm/w at 9 V were obtained.     

蒙特卡罗方法模拟薄膜电致发光器件中碰撞离化的作用

基于经验赝势法得到的能带结构数据，采用分段多项式拟合获得ZnS能带结构的解析表达式 ，建立解析能带模型.使用建立的模型计算得到各能谷的态密度和总的散射速率,并与文献 的计算结果进行了对比，验证该解析能带模型既具有非抛物型多能谷能带模型运算速度快、 使用方便的优势,又具有与采用全导带模型相近的计算精度.进一步利用该模型进行蒙特卡罗 模拟，得到第一导带和第二导带中电子数随电场强度的变化、不同电场中能量分布函数以及 包含与不包含碰撞离化情况下电子能量随时间变化的曲线.讨论在外加电场下，电子在导带 内各个能谷间和 关键词： 蒙特卡罗模拟 解析能带模型 多项式拟合 碰撞离化     

Rare earth oxide doping in oxide cathodes

The effect on life performance and poisoning with O₂ by doping oxide cathodes with rare earth oxides and pseudo rare earth oxides, notably yttria, is qualitatively explained in terms of electrolysis of BaO during emission of electrons. Doped cathodes show less electrolysis and consume therefore less Ba during life: consequently, doped cathodes have a better life performance. However, the lower Ba-production makes doped cathodes more sensitive to oxygen poisoning. The experimentally found relation between conductivity and yttria concentration was the motive to propose a new model for the crystal imperfections in BaO. In this new imperfection model most Y³⁺-ions will combine with barium vacancies, therefore, the increase of the conductivity is modest and also the effect on the position of the Fermi level is modest. By assuming a combination of bulk and surface conductivity, the agreement between experiment and theory can be improved further.     

Synthesis and electroluminescent properties of a carbozole-functionalized europium(III) complex

A novel europium(III) complex, tris(dibenzoylmethanate){1-[9-hexyl-9H-carbazole]-2-(2-pyridyl)-benzimidazole}europium(III) [Eu(DBM)₃(CAR-PyBM)] functionalized by a carbozole fragment, was synthesized and used as emitting material in organic electroluminescent (EL) devices. Compared with the device based on an unfunctional Eu(III) complex, [Eu(DBM)₃HPyBM] (HPyBM=2-(2-pyridyl)benzimidazole), the EL performances of the device using [Eu(DBM)₃(CAR-PyBM)] as an emitter was significantly enhanced due to the improvement of hole-transporting ability. The maximum efficiency and luminance of red emission achieved from the device with the configuration of ITO/N,N′-diphenyl-N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′diamine (TPD, 50 nm)/ [Eu(DBM)₃(CAR-PyBM)] (30 nm)/1,3,5-tirs-(N-phenylbenzimidazol-2-yl)benzene (TPBI, 20 nm)/LiF (1.5 nm)/Al were 4.2 cd/A and 200 cd/m², respectively.     

Crystalline Si thin-film solar cells: a review

The present review summarizes the results of research efforts in the field of crystalline silicon thin-film solar cells on foreign substrates. The large number of competing approaches can be broadly classified according to the grain size of the crystalline Si films and the doping of the crystalline absorber. Currently, solar cells based on microcrystalline Si films on glass with an intrinsic or moderately doped absorber film achieve efficiencies around 10%, whereas thin-film cells fabricated from large-grained polycrystalline Si on high-temperature-resistant substrates have efficiencies in the range of 15%. The paper discusses the limitations of various approaches and describes recent developments in the area of thin, monocrystalline Si films that may open the way towards 20% efficient thin-film Si solar cells. Received: 1 March 1999 / Accepted: 28 March 1999 / Published online: 24 June 1999     

Recent progress in thin-film solar cells

The depletion of energy resources should produce an increase in the range of applications for terrestrial solar cells. The main factor determining the extent of this increase will be cost. In this respect, thin-film solar cells are particularly promising. Recent work on cells based on doped amorphous silicon is reviewed in detail. The properties of this relatively new material are still poorly understood.     

Hydrogen concentration in chalcopyrite thin-film solar cells

A survey of the hydrogen concentration distribution in the various layers of chalcopyrite solar cells is presented. Depth profiles were measured by the nuclear reaction analysis method for the glass substrate, Mo back contact, Cu(In,Ga)S₂ or Cu(In,Ga)Se₂ absorber, CdS buffer, and ZnO window layer. We find that hydrogen is present in all layers in concentrations exceeding the solubility of hydrogen in the corresponding crystalline bulk materials. This indicates that the deposition process and the polycrystallinity of the layers favor the uptake of hydrogen. The measured concentrations range from some 10¹⁸ H/cm³ in the absorber up to some 10²¹ H/cm³ in the CdS buffer layer. Effects of annealing at elevated temperatures are reported.     

Rare earth ion distribution in sol–gel silicate glasses

Sol–gel glasses are porous networks that have been densified through chemical processing and heat treatment. Due to their relative insolubility in silica, rare earth (RE) ions in silicate glasses enter as network modifiers and compete for non-bridging oxygens in order to complete their coordination. Energy transfer between Tb³⁺ ions is used here to study the distribution of RE ions in these porous glasses. The non-exponential decay of the ⁵D₃ fluorescence is due to cross relaxation. Using a model for energy transfer in fractional dimensions and fitting the decay profile to a stretched exponential, the number of nearby Tb³⁺ ions and the dimensionality of the Tb³⁺ ions in the pores could be determined. Analysis indicates that the observed fluorescence originates from relatively isolated ions. Samples annealed below 950 °C exhibit a dimensionality of ～1.2.     

Research status in thin-film crystalline Si solar cells

Recent research status and future subjects for the development of thin-film crystalline Si solar cells were reviewed. Optimum design of cell configuration and polycrystalline silicon growth by atmospheric pressure chemical vapor deposition (APCVD) were demonstrated. In order to configure high efficiency thin-film poly-Si solar cells, a novel method of quasi-three-dimensional simulation using a cylindrical coordinate system was carried out. Interface recombination velocity at grain boundaries should be less than 10³ cm/s based on the simulation results. Even at a relatively short diffusion length of L_n=50 μm, high efficiency larger than 16% will be expected at a thickness of 5–20 μm. Poly-Si films with columnar structures whose diameter was around 5 μm were successfully deposited on foreign substrates with APCVD at a high growth rate of 0.8 μm/min. Up-to-date status of reported cell performances were discussed in addition to future prospects.     

Low-temperature scanning electron microscopy for studying inhomogeneities in thin-film high-T c superconductors

Low-temperature scanning electron microscopy can provide important information on the local superconducting properties of thin-iilm high-T _c superconductors. The principle of this method is outlined, including the spatial resolution limit. The spatial variations observation of the local values of the critical temperature and of the critical current density represent highly important applications of this method. The spatial variations of flux pinning and flux flow can be also studied.