I want to alter the work function of evaporated electrodes. What are the possible approaches ?
Work function is a characteristic of amy metal, like mass or atomic number. There is a difference for different crystalline orientation of the metal sample. I mean, you cannot change it without changing the metal composition. But, in this case you will obtain another material. So, your question is not correct.
Well, you can try form an oxide or silicide to increase WF. Sometimes these work, but depends on material.
Work function is a characteristic of amy metal, like mass or atomic number. There is a difference for different crystalline orientation of the metal sample. I mean, you cannot change it without changing the metal composition. But, in this case you will obtain another material. So, your question is not correct.
Well, you can try form an oxide or silicide to increase WF. Sometimes these work, but depends on material.
I agree with Artur Braun and Yuriy Kudriavtsev, work function is very complex, it will depend on the surface characteristics. You can try using different deposition conditions, cleaning or post-treatments, but change will be small. Depending on application, you can use a very thin buffer layer (some nm) of other material (maybe other metal) to be transparent to charge transport but enough to modified work function of the system. Or Bi-layers concept may be an option for you!
The work function[1] of a surface is strongly affected by the condition[1,2] of the ... surface. The presence of minute amounts of contamination[3], or the occurrence of surface reactions[4] (oxidation or similar), can change the work function substantially.
Big changes, of the order of 1eV, are common[1] for metals and semiconductors, depending on the surface condition[1-4].
1. Tutorial on Work Function http://rsl.eng.usf.edu/Documents/Tutorials/TutorialsWorkFunction.pdf
2. Is work function a surface or a bulk property? https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0042207X10000412
3. Primary role of electron work function for evaluation of nanostructured titania implant surface against bacterial infection https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0928493116303861
4. Work function modifications of graphite surface via oxygen plasma treatment https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0169433217313090
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