Bipolaron lattice formation at metal-polymer interfaces.

We describe a model for metal-polymer interfaces based on nondegenerate continuum model of Brazovskii and Kirova for electronic properties of polymers. Correct analytic equations for a bipolaron lattice in this model are stated and electronic properties of the bulk polymer (energy-level structure, energy density, and chemical potential) as a function of electron density are obtained numerically. We find that the bipolaron lattice is unstable at high densities when intrinsic gap parameter exceeds a critical fraction of total energy gap. Electronic properties of bulk polymer are used for modeling the metal-polymer interface. Charge density near a metal-polymer interface is found from electrostatic potential and analytic expression for bipolaron chemical potential assuming that the contact is in equilibrium with the polymer layer. Poisson`s equation is integrated to determine the electrostatic potential. We find that a large charge density is transferred into the polymer layer if the Fermi level of the metal contact is higher than the negative bipolaron formation energy per particle or lower than the positive bipolaron formation energy per particle. The transferred charge lies very close to the metal-polymer interface as a bipolaron lattice with charge density progressively decreasing away from the interface. The transferred charge gives rise to amore » region of rapid ``band bending``, pins the Fermi level, and establishes the effective Schottky energy barrier. Upon increasing the metal Fermi level above the bipolaron formation energy per particle, the effective Schottky barrier saturates at the energy difference between the polaron formation energy and the bipolaron formation energy per particle. The model results are useful in interpreting recent measurements of internal photoemission, device electroabsorption, and capacitance-voltage characteristics in polymer light-emitting diodes. {copyright} {ital 1996 The American Physical Society.}« less