Electronic structure of 8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum (Alq₃) / metal interfaces studied by UV photoemission

The electronic structures of tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq₃) / metal (Au, Al) interfaces as a model interface of organic electroluminescent (EL) devices were investigated by ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopy (UPS). We found abrupt shifts of the vacuum level of ca. 1 eV at the interfaces in contrast to the traditional assumption with a common vacuum level at the interface. The shift indicates the formation of interfacial dipole with the metal side negatively charged. At Alq₃ / Al interface, the estimated energy position of the lowest unoccupied molecular orbital (LUMO) was very close to the Fermi level of the substrate metal, corresponding to the electron-injecting nature of the interface. This is in contrast to the poor electron-injecting character expected by assuming a common vacuum level where Fermi level of the substrate should be around the center of the gap. The electronic structure of Alq₃ as a solid is also discussed in comparison with the results by semi-empirical molecular orbital calculation.