A study of tin oxide as an election injection layer in hybrid polymer light-emitting diodes

We investigate the n-type metal oxide tin (IV) oxide (SnO2) as an electron injection and transport layer in hybrid polymer light-emitting diodes. SnO2 is air stable and bio-safe, with high optical transparency and electrical conductivity, and with a deep valence band energy, making it highly suitable for such applications. Results reveal that SnO2 is effective as an electron injecting cathode material when a thin hole-blocking interlayer of Cs2CO3 or Ba(OH)2 is coated on it. Devices are optimized with respect to injection-layer thickness and hole-blocking layer configuration, with high performance metrics (current efficiencies of 20 cd A−1, external quantum efficiencies of 6.5%) being demonstrated in the device with Ba(OH)2 as the inorganic interlayer in the hybrid architecture. Also, we characterize thin films of spray-pyrolysis-deposited SnO2, as compared with the commonly used interlayer material ZnO, in terms of film morphology and interfacial photophysics.