Open AccessElectrical instabilities in organic semiconductors caused by trapped supercooled water
Author(s) -
Henrique L. Gomes,
Peter Stallinga,
Michael Cölle,
D.M. de Leeuw,
Fabio Biscarini
Publication year - 2006
Publication title -
applied physics letters
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.182
H-Index - 442
eISSN - 1077-3118
pISSN - 0003-6951
DOI - 10.1063/1.2178410
Subject(s) - supercooling , metastability , instability , chemical physics , anomaly (physics) , materials science , organic semiconductor , semiconductor , phase transition , hysteresis , condensed matter physics , mineralogy , chemistry , thermodynamics , physics , optoelectronics , organic chemistry , mechanics
It is reported that the electrical instability known as bias stress is caused by the presence of trapped water in the organic layer. Experimental evidence as provided by the observation of an anomaly occurring systematically at around 200 K. This anomaly is observed in a variety of materials, independent of the deposition techniques and remarkably coincides with a known phase transition of supercooled water. Confined water does not crystallize at 273 K but forms a metastable liquid. This metastable water behaves electrically as a charge trap, which causes the instability. Below 200 K the water finally solidifies and the electrical traps disappear. (c) 2006 American Institute of Physics
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