Photoinduced charge transfer across the interface between organic molecular crystals and polymers.

Photoinduced charge transfer of positive and negative charges across the interface between a single-crystal organic semiconductor and a polymeric insulator is observed in electric field-effect experiments. Immobilization of the transferred charge by deep traps in the polymer results in a shift of the threshold of field-induced conductivity along the semiconductor-polymer interface, which allows for direct measurements of the charge transfer rate. The transfer occurs when the photon energy exceeds the absorption edge of the semiconductor. The direction of the transverse electric field at the interface determines the sign of the transferred charge; the transfer rate is controlled by the field magnitude and light intensity.