Influences of organic–inorganic interfacial properties on the performance of a hybrid near-infrared optical upconverter

In this article, we explored in detail the influences of organic–inorganic interfacial properties on the performance of a hybrid near-infrared optical upconverter, mainly the leakage current and brightness. The upconverter that can convert input near-infrared to visible light was fabricated by directly integrating an organic light emitting diode (OLED) with an In0.12Ga0.88As/GaAs multi-quantum wells (MQWs) photodetector (PD). MoO3 doped perylene-3,4,9,10-tetra carboxylic dianhydride (PTCDA) was inserted between the PD and OLED as an interfacial connection layer. The possible interaction mechanism of the PTCDA molecule on the GaAs surface such as π electron cloud spreading or Ga–O–C bonds model was suggested and verified to explain the excellent hole injection property at the GaAs/MoO3:PTCDA interface. In addition, choosing an effective interface passivation layer was proven to retain leakage current markedly.