Effect of rare-earth doping on the electrical and photoelectrical properties of furazano [ 3,4-b] piperazine (FP) thin-film devices

Schottky diodes of rare-earth, praseodymium (Pr)-doped and samarium (Sm)-doped furazano [3,4-b] piperazine (FP), sandwiched between Al and indium-tin oxide (ITO) were made by a spin-coating technique. The diodes, in which doped FP behaves as a p-type organic semiconductor, exhibit rectification behaviour. The p-type semiconductivity and rectification properties of the devices improve with rare-earth doping. The electrical effects observed in these devices are explained in terms of the p-type semiconducting behaviour of the doped FP thin films and the formation of a blocking contact (Schottky barrier) with the Al electrode and ohmic contact with the ITO electrode. Various electrical parameters such as carrier mobility, position of Fermi level, free carrier concentration, trap density, trap level and conductivity of doped FP are calculated and discussed. It is found that the position of the Fermi level shifts toward the valence band on rare-earth doping; concentration of free carriers and carrier mobility increase on doping. From the capacitance-voltage (C-V) measurements, various electrical parameters such as barrier height, density of ionized acceptor atoms and depletion layer width are calculated and discussed. From the action spectra and absorption spectra it is confirmed that the Al-doped FP interface forms a Schottky barrier and the ITO-doped FP interface shows ohmic contact. The photovoltaic measurement on the two devices reveals that the short circuit current, open circuit voltage, fill factor and power conversion efficiency increase on rare-earth doping.