Effective barrier height and work function of Mg:Ag thin films with a low Mg concentration acting as cathodes in high-efficiency organic light emitting devices

Organic molecular-beam deposition (OMBD) of Mg:Ag thin films with a low Mg concentration on tris(8-hydroxyquinolino) aluminum (Alq3) layers at room temperature was performed to investigate the feasibility of using Mg:Ag thin films as cathode electrodes in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). The effective barrier height of the Mg:Ag (5:95) thin films grown on the Alq3 layers, determined from the current–voltage measurements, was as low as 0.22 eV. The work function of the Mg:Ag (5:95) thin film, determined from the secondary electron emission coefficients obtained by using focused ion beam, was 4.12 eV. These results indicate that Mg:Ag (5:95) thin films with a low Mg concentration grown by using the OMBD method hold promise for potential applications as cathode electrodes in high-efficiency OLEDs.