Preparation of Hybrid Films Based in Aluminum 8-Hydroxyquinoline as Organic Semiconductor for Photoconductor Applications

In the present work, we have investigated an organic semiconductor based on tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (AlQ₃) doped with tetracyanoquinodimethane (TCNQ), which can be used as an organic photoconductor. DFT calculations were carried out to optimize the structure of semiconductor species and to obtain related constants in order to compare experimental and theoretical results. Subsequently, AlQ₃-TCNQ films with polypyrrole (Ppy) matrix were fabricated, and they were morphologically and mechanically characterized by Scanning Electron Microscopy, X-ray diffraction and Atomic Force Microscopy techniques. The maximum stress for the film is 8.66 MPa, and the Knoop hardness is 0.0311. The optical behavior of the film was also analyzed, and the optical properties were found to exhibit two indirect transitions at 2.58 and 3.06 eV. Additionally, photoluminescence measurements were carried out and the film showed an intense visible emission in the visible region. Finally, a photoconductor was fabricated and electrically characterized. Applying a cubic spline approximation to fit cubic polynomials to the J-V curves, the ohmic to SCLC transition voltage (Formula presented.) and the trap-filled-limit voltage (Formula presented.) for the device were obtained. Then, the free carrier density and trap density for the device were approximated to (Formula presented.) and (Formula presented.), respectively.