Method and apparatus for detecting infrared radiation with gain

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10134815-B2
Application number	US-201214129225-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 2, 2012
Priority date	Jun 30, 2011
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

Abstract

Photodetectors, methods of fabricating the same, and methods using the same to detect radiation are described. A photodetector can include a first electrode, a light sensitizing layer, an electron blocking/tunneling layer, and a second electrode. Infrared-to-visible upconversion devices, methods of fabricating the same, and methods using the same to detect radiation are also described. An Infrared-to-visible upconversion device can include a photodetector and an OLED coupled to the photodetector.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An infrared (IR)-to-visible upconversion device, comprising:
a photodetector with gain; and
an organic light-emitting device (OLED) coupled to the photodetector with gain,
wherein the photodetector with gain comprises:
a first photodetector electrode;
a light sensitizing layer on the first photodetector electrode;
an electron blocking/tunneling layer on the light sensitizing layer; and
a second photodetector electrode on the electron blocking/tunneling layer,
wherein the electron blocking/tunneling layer is a TAPC/MoO 3 stack layer.

2. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 1 , wherein the light sensitizing layer is sensitive to photons having a wavelength in a range of from 0.7 μm to 14 μm, inclusive.

3. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 2 , wherein the light sensitizing layer is insensitive to photons having a wavelength of at least 0.4 μm and less than 0.7 μm.

4. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 1 , wherein the light sensitizing layer comprises PbS quantum dots or PbSe quantum dots.

5. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 1 , wherein the light sensitizing layer comprises PbS quantum dots.

6. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 1 , wherein the light sensitizing layer comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of PbS quantum dots, PbSe quantum dots, PCTDA, SnPc, SnPc:C60, AlPcCl, AlPcCl:C60, TiOPc, TiOPc:C60, PbSe, PbS, InAs, InGaAs, Si, Ge, and GaAs.

7. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 1 , wherein the first photodetector electrode comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), aluminum tin oxide (ATO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), silver, calcium, magnesium, gold, aluminum, carbon nanotubes, silver nanowire, LiF/Al/ITO, Ag/ITO, and CsCO 3 /ITO.

8. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 1 , wherein the second photodetector electrode comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), aluminum tin oxide (ATO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), silver, calcium, magnesium, gold, aluminum, carbon nanotubes, silver nanowire, LiF/Al/ITO, Ag/ITO, and CsCO 3 /ITO.

9. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 1 , wherein the first photodetector electrode is an anode, and wherein the second photodetector electrode is a cathode.

10. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 9 , wherein the first photodetector electrode comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), aluminum tin oxide (ATO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), silver, calcium, magnesium, gold, aluminum, carbon nanotubes, silver nanowire, LiF/Al/ITO, Ag/ITO, and CsCO 3 /ITO; and wherein the second photodetector electrode comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), aluminum tin oxide (ATO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), silver, calcium, magnesium, gold, aluminum, carbon nanotubes, silver nanowire, LiF/Al/ITO, Ag/ITO, and CsCO 3 /ITO.

11. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 1 , wherein the TAPC layer is in direct contact with the light sensitizing layer, and wherein the MoO3 layer is in direct contact with the second photodetector electrode.

12. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 1 , wherein the TAPC layer has a thickness of no more than 100 nm, and wherein the MoO3 layer has a thickness of no more than 100 nm.

13. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 1 , further comprising a hole blocking layer on the first photodetector electrode and under the light sensitizing layer.

14. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 13 , wherein the hole blocking layer comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of ZnO, naphthalene tetracarboxylic anhydride (NTCDA), 2,9-Dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (BCP), p-bis(triphenylsilyl)benzene (UGH2), 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (BPhen), tris-(8-hydroxy quinoline)aluminum (Alq3), 3,5′-N,N′-dicarbazole-benzene (mCP), C60, tris[3-(3-pyridyl)-mesityl]borane (3TPYMB), and TiO 2 .

15. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 1 , wherein the OLED comprises an OLED electrode, a hole transporting layer (HTL), a light emitting layer (LEL), and an electron transporting layer (ETL).

16. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 15 , wherein the OLED electrode comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of ITO, IZO, ATO, AZO, silver, calcium, magnesium, gold, aluminum, carbon nanotubes, silver nanowire, LiF/Al/ITO, Ag/ITO, CsCO 3 /ITO, and a Mg:Ag/Alq3 stack layer.

17. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 15 , wherein the HTL comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of NPD, TAPC, TFB, TPD, and diamine derivative.

18. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 15 , wherein the LEL comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of Iridium tris(2-phenylpyidine) (Ir(ppy)3), [2-methoxy-5-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-p-phenylenevinylene] (MEW PPV), Tris-(8-quinolinolato)aluminum) (Alq3), and bis[(4,6-di-fluorophenyl)-pyridinate-]picolinate (Flrpic).

19. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 15 , wherein the ETL comprises at least one material selected from the group consisting of BCP, Bphen, 3TPYMB, and Alq3.

20. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 15 , wherein the OLED electrode comprises a Mg:Ag/Alq3 stack layer, wherein the Mg:Ag layer of the Mg:Ag/Alq3 stack layer has a composition of Mg:Ag (10:1), wherein the Mg:Ag layer has a thickness of less than 30 nm, and wherein the Alq3 layer of the Mg:Ag/Alq3 stack layer has a thickness of no more than 200 nm.

21. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 15 ,
wherein the electron blocking/tunneling layer is a TAPC/MoO 3 stack layer,
wherein the TAPC layer is in direct contact with the light sensitizing layer,
wherein the MoO 3 layer is in direct contact with the second photodetector electrode, and
wherein the light sensitizing layer comprises PbS quantum dots.

22. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 21 , further comprising a hole blocking layer on the first photodetector electrode and under the light sensitizing layer.

23. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 15 , wherein the photodetector with gain is positioned directly adjacent to the OLED, and wherein the OLED is positioned such that the ETL of the OLED is closer to the light sensitizing layer of the photodetector with gain than it is to the electron blocking/tunneling layer of the photodetector with gain.

24. The IR-to-visible upconversion device according to claim 15 , further comprising an interconnecting part between the photodetector with gain and the OLED, wherein the interconnecting part is positioned such that the electron blocking/tunneling layer of the photodetector with gain is closer than the light sensitizing layer is to the interconnecting part, and wherein the interconnecting part is positioned such that the HTL of the OLED is closer than the ETL is to the interconnecting part.

25. The IR-to-visible upconversion device accordi

Assignees

• So Franky
• Kim Do Young
• Lee Jae Woong
• Pradhan Bhabendra K
• Nanoholdings Llc
• Univ Florida

Inventors

• So Franky
• Kim Do Young
• Lee Jae Woong
• Pradhan Bhabendra K

Classifications

• Y02E10/549

  Organic PV cells · CPC title

• H01L27/3227 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/4213

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L51/422

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L31/09

  Electricity · mapped topic