Organic Zener Diodes: Tunneling across the Gap in Organic Semiconductor Materials

Research output: Contribution to journalResearch articleContributedpeer-review

Contributors

Abstract

Organic Zener diodes with a precisely adjustable reverse breakdown from -3 to -15 V without any influence on the forward current-voltrage curve are realized This is accomplished by controlling the width of the charge depletion zone in a pin diode with an accuracy of one nanometer independently of the doping concentration and the thickness of the intrinsic layer The breakdown effect with its exponential current voltage behavior and a weak temperature dependence is explained by a tunneling mechanism across the highest occupied molecular orbital lowest unoccupied molecular orbital gap of neighboring molecules The experimental data are confirmed by a minimal Hamiltonian model approach including coherent tunneling and incoherent hopping processes as possible charge transport pathways through the effective device region

Details

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)4929-4934
Number of pages6
JournalNano letters
Volume10
Issue number12
Publication statusPublished - Dec 2010
Peer-reviewedYes

External IDs

PubMed 21033756
Scopus 78650134578
ORCID /0000-0001-8121-8041/work/142240852
ORCID /0000-0002-9773-6676/work/142247058

Keywords

Keywords

  • Organic semiconductors, Zener diodes, Molecular doping tunneling, Organic pin diodes