Thin film of metal oxide, organic electroluminescent device including the thin film, photovoltaic cell including the thin film and organic photovoltaic cell including the thin film

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11094909-B2
Application number	US-201615178828-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 10, 2016
Priority date	Dec 26, 2013
Publication date	Aug 17, 2021
Grant date	Aug 17, 2021

Abstract

A thin film of amorphous metal oxide includes zinc (Zn), silicon (Si) and oxygen (O), the atomic ratio of Zn/(Zn+Si) being 0.30 to 0.95.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A thin film of metal oxide, comprising:
zinc (Zn);
silicon (Si);
oxygen (O); and
one or more other metal components selected from the group consisting of tin (Sn), titanium (Ti), indium (In), gallium (Ga), and niobium (Nb),
wherein the film does not comprise aluminum (Al),
wherein the atomic ratio of Zn/(Zn+Si) is 0.80 to 0.92,
wherein a refraction index of the thin film is 1.50 to 2.00,
wherein the metal oxide of the thin film is amorphous, and
wherein the content of the one or more other metal components, in terms of an oxide, is less than or equal to 15 mol % with respect 100 mol %, which is the total of ZnO, SiO 2 , and oxides of the one or more other metal components.

2. The film of claim 1 , which is an electron transport capability film.

3. An organic electroluminescent device, comprising:
the film of claim 1 .

4. The device of claim 3 , further comprising:
a light emitting layer between an anode and a cathode,
wherein the thin film is provided between the light emitting layer and the cathode.

5. The device of claim 4 , wherein the thin film is one or more layers selected from an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and a hole blocking layer.

6. The device of claim 4 , wherein the thickness of the thin film is 70 nm to 2000 nm.

7. The device of claim 4 , further comprising:
an electron injection layer constituted of one or more substances selected from a group consisting of lithium fluoride, cesium carbonate, sodium chloride, cesium fluoride, lithium oxide, barium oxide, barium carbonate, and (8-quinolinolato)lithium.

8. The device of claim 4 , wherein the thin film directly contacts the cathode.

9. A photovoltaic cell, comprising:
the film of claim 1 .

10. The cell of claim 9 , wherein the thin film is one or more layers selected from an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer, and a hole blocking layer.

11. An organic photovoltaic cell, comprising:
the film of claim 1 .

12. The cell of claim 11 , wherein the thin film is one or more layers selected from an electron transport layer, an electron injection layer and a hole blocking layer.

13. A thin film of metal oxide, comprising:
zinc (Zn);
silicon (Si);
oxygen (O); and
a further metal component,
wherein the film does not comprise aluminum (Al),
wherein the atomic ratio of Zn/(Zn+Si) is 0.80 to 0.92,
wherein a refraction index of the thin film is 1.50 to 2.00,
wherein the metal oxide of the thin film is amorphous, and
wherein the content of the one or more other metal components, in terms of an oxide, is less than or equal to 15 mol % with respect 100 mol %, which is the total of ZnO, SiO 2 , and oxides of the one or more other metal components.

14. The film of claim 13 , wherein further metal component comprises a first metal and a second metal.

15. An organic electroluminescent device, comprising:
the film of claim 13 .

16. The device of claim 3 , comprising no electron injection layer.

17. The device of claim 15 , comprising no electron injection layer.

18. A thin film of metal oxide, comprising:
zinc (Zn);
silicon (Si);
oxygen (O); and
tin (Sn), titanium (Ti) indium (In), gallium (Ga), and/or niobium (Nb),
wherein the film does not comprise aluminum (Al),
wherein the atomic ratio of Zn/(Zn+Si) is 0.80 to 0.95,
wherein a refraction index of the thin film is 1.50 to 2.00,
wherein the metal oxide of the thin film is amorphous, and
wherein the content of the one or more other metal components, in terms of an oxide, is less than or equal to 15 mol % with respect 100 mol %, which is the total of ZnO, SiO 2 , and oxides of the one or more other metal components.

19. The film of claim 13 , comprising the tin (Sn).

20. The film of claim 13 , comprising the titanium (Ti).

21. The film of claim 1 , wherein a root mean square roughness for a measurement range of a 20 μm square of the thin film is less than or equal to 10 nm.

22. The film of claim 21 , wherein an array of atoms in a crystallite in the metal oxide of the thin film is less than or equal to 16 lines.

23. The film of claim 13 , wherein a root mean square roughness for a measurement range of a 20 μm square of the thin film is less than or equal to 10 nm.

24. The film of claim 23 , wherein an array of atoms in a crystallite in the metal oxide of the thin film is less than or equal to 16 lines.

25. The film of claim 18 , wherein a root mean square roughness for a measurement range of a 20 μm square of the thin film is less than or equal to 10 nm.

26. The film of claim 25 , wherein an array of atoms in a crystallite in the metal oxide of the thin film is less than or equal to 16 lines.

Assignees

• Japan Science & Tech Agency

Inventors

• Hosono Hideo
• Toda Yoshitake
• Watanabe Toshinari
• Miyakawa Naomichi
• Ito Kazuhiro
• Watanabe Satoru
• Mitsui Akira
• Ohkoshi Kazuto

Classifications

• H10K30/85

  Layers having high electron mobility, e.g. electron-transporting layers or hole-blocking layers · CPC title

• H10K30/50

  Photovoltaic [PV] devices · CPC title

• H10K50/16 Primary

  Electron transporting layers · CPC title

• H10K30/353 Primary

  comprising blocking layers, e.g. exciton blocking layers · CPC title

• Y02E10/549

  Organic PV cells · CPC title