Barrier Height Formation in Organic Blends / Metal Interfaces: Case of (TTF-TCNQ) / Au(111)

TL;DR

This study uses Density Functional Theory to analyze how the energy levels at the interface of a TTF-TCNQ organic blend and Au(111) are formed, highlighting charge transfer, molecular deformation, and interface states.

Contribution

It introduces a generalized Unified-IDIS model to explain interface energy level alignment in organic blends on metal surfaces.

Findings

TCNQ LUMO is near the Fermi level due to metal interaction

Organic levels are broadened, creating interface states

Charge transfer and molecular dipoles control energy alignment

Abstract

The interface between the tetrathiafulvalene / tetracyanoquinodimethane (TTFTCNQ) organic blend and the Au(111) metal surface is analyzed by Density Functional Theory calculations, including the effect of the charging energies on the molecule transport gaps. Given the strong donor and acceptor characters of the TTF and TCNQ molecules, respectively, there is a strong intermolecular interaction, with a relatively high charge transfer between the two organic materials. We find that the TCNQ LUMO peak is very close to the Fermi level; due to the interaction with the metal surface, the organic blend molecular levels are broadened, creating an important induced density of interface states. We show that the interface energy level alignment is controlled by the charge transfer between TTF, TCNQ and Au, and by the molecular dipoles created in the molecules because of their deformations when adsorbed on Au(111); in particular the TCNQ molecules present a bent adsorption geometry with the N atoms bonded to the Au surface. A generalization of the Unified-IDIS model, to explain how the interface energy levels alignment is achieved for the case of this blended organic layer, is presented by introducing matrix equations associated with the Charge Neutrality Levels of both organic materials and with their intermixed screening properties.