Grant: Strategic Projects - Group

Organic electronic and optoelectronic devices are of great interest and promise because of flexibility of depositing organic films on various substrates and the relative ease of processing of organic compounds that are being engineered in numerous research labs. Significant progress has been made in realizing different functions by using organic materials for low-cost devices, such as organic field-effect transistors, organic light-emitting diodes and displays, and thin film organic photovoltaic cells, to name a few. The integration of organic materials with inorganic materials to make hybrid devices is one of several options that are thought to offer hope for not only extending performance but increasing functionality as well as lowering cost. This new device scheme can bring in the vast capabilities of synthetic chemistry into the realm of novel electronic/ optoelectronic devices and take advantage of the rich phenomena of self-organization, self-assembly and area-specific growth of organic materials. The objectives of this proposal are (1) to develop organic/inorganic hybrid devices for infrared to visible light optical upconversion applications through direct tandem integration; (2) to develop a comprehensive knowledge on the underlying physics of the organic/inorganic hetero-integration, including the interfacial states and carrier injection at the interfaces between organic molecular layers and inorganic semiconductor and between organic molecular layers and metal contact layers; and (3) to design and prototype infrared imaging devices based on optical upconversion for practical applications. The proposed project will provide a broad base of new knowledge on organic-inorganic hetero-integration that could lead to new functionalities and applications of organic materials and devices, such as night vision for military/civilian applications, covert surveillance, range finding, and semiconductor wafer inspection. This research will have profound technological impacts in the areas of information acquisition, safety, security and medical imaging. The intellectual property stemming from this research will benefit the knowledge-based economy of Canada and is expected to have critical impacts on start-up companies.