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This study demonstrates superior electrical and electroluminescence performance of inverted quantum-dot light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs) with a V2O5/poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) hole conduction layer. Hole- and electron-only device measurements reveal a more balanced charge carrier injection as well as the higher hole conduction capability in the inverted QD-LED than the standard one. Smooth stepwise hole conduction energy levels with a remarkably reduced hole barrier height (Δh) from 1.74 to 0.89 eV at QD/PVK are found to be responsible for high hole conduction and high luminous efficiency in the inverted QD-LED, which is validated by ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy measurements. The down-shifted electronic energy levels of PVK for reducing the Δh are discussed from the point of view of molecular orientation of PVK governed by interfacial atomic interaction with underlayers of V2O5 and QD for standard and inverted device structures, respectively.

We report the tailoring of the electronic structure of poly(N-vinylcarbazole) (PVK) using a mixture layer of polyaniline:poly(p-styrenesulfonic acid) (PANI:PSS) in organic multilayer PVK/PANI:PSS/poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene):PSS heterojunctions. The overall electronic structure of the PVK overlayer was systematically down-shifted while the work function of PANI:PSS increased as a function of the PSS-to-PANI weight ratio for the ratio range from 1 to 11 in the PANI:PSS film. The down-shift in the highest occupied molecular orbital of PVK markedly reduced the hole injection barrier from PVK to quantum-dot (QD) layers in QD-light emitting diode (QD-LED) structures, resulting in superior electrical and electroluminescent characteristics for QD-LEDs. The influences of PANI:PSS thickness on the electronic structure of PVK and the performance of QD-LEDs are also discussed.

Zn1−xCoxO (x⩽0.22) films were prepared on (0001)-oriented Al2O3 substrates by rf magnetron sputtering. The alloys show wurtzite crystal structure with the c-axis lattice constant increasing with increasing x. The optical properties of the samples were measured by spectroscopic ellipsometry at room temperature in the 1.5–5 eV photon energy region. As x increases, the optical band gap absorption edge (E0) of the alloys shows a redshift from that of pure ZnO, reaching 350 meV for x=0.22. The excitonic character of the E0 edge is gradually reduced as x increases and is replaced by the three-dimensional critical-point shape. Optical absorption structures are also observed below the E0 edge near 2 eV and interpreted as due to the transitions between the crystal-field-split 3d levels of tetrahedral Co2+ ions substituting Zn2+ ions.

Optical absorption properties of n-type In-doped ZnO films were investigated by spectroscopic ellipsometry for varying carrier concentration. The fundamental optical band gap (E0) edge of the compound showed a blueshift below the carrier concentration n0=5×1019 cm−3, which can be explained in terms of the Burstein–Moss band-filling effect. An abrupt jump of the E0 edge from blue- to redshift was observed as the carrier concentration increased beyond n0. It is interpreted as due to a merging of the donor and conduction bands of the compound near n0. The redshift increases quite linearly with the carrier concentration, reaching 600 meV for n=1.2×1020 cm−3. Such linear increase is interpreted as mainly due to a band gap narrowing caused by impurity-induced potential fluctuations.

We report the ferromagnetic doping of single walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) using an electrochemical method. Ferromagnetism was well defined at the low temperature region and the Curie temperature was above 350 K. The coercive field increases monotonically with the increasing manganese concentration. Improved ferromagnetism with the increasing of manganese concentration and the control of hysteresis has been observed, and the electrical transport measurement of SWCNTs shows the normal semiconductor properties. These investigations indicate the great potential of SWCNTs in applications such as spin electronics.

We proposed a method to control the pretilt angle of liquid crystals by stacking of a vertical alignment layer on a planar alignment layer. The pretilt angle can be controlled over the full range (0°–90°) depending on the thickness of the vertical alignment layer. We also proposed a numerical model to describe the physical mechanism based on the anchoring competition between liquid crystal, planar, and vertical polyimide alignment layers.