Yeon-jin Lee
Yonsei University · Engineering
About the Lab
Professor Yeon-jin Lee's research lab specializes in the fundamental electronic structure and interfacial physics of advanced materials for optoelectronic and photovoltaic applications. The lab focuses on understanding energy level alignment, charge transport mechanisms, and interfacial dipoles at electrode and semiconductor interfaces, particularly in organic photovoltaics, perovskite solar cells, and 2D materials. Using in situ photoemission spectroscopy techniques such as UPS and XPS, the group investigates the electronic properties of materials like MoO₃, CuSCN, ITO, BCP, and black phosphorus to optimize device performance through rational interface engineering. Their work bridges materials science and device physics to enable high-efficiency, stable optoelectronic devices.
Research Overview
Research Output Trend
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Selected Papers
15The interface formation between a metal and MoO(3) was examined. We carried out in situ ultraviolet and x-ray photoemission spectroscopy with step-by-step deposition of MoO(3) on clean Au and Al substrates. The MoO(3) induces huge interface dipoles, which significantly increase the work functions of Au and Al surfaces. This is the main origin of the carrier injection improvement in organic devices. In addition, interface states are observed at the initial stages of MoO(3) deposition on both Au a
Copper thiocyanate (CuSCN) is known as a promising hole transport layer in organic photovoltaics (OPVs) due to its good hole conduction and exciton blocking abilities with high transparency. Despite its successful device applications, the origin of its hole extraction enhancement in OPVs has not yet been understood. Here, we investigated the electronic structure of CuSCN and the energy level alignment at the poly(3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl) (P3HT)/CuSCN/ITO interfaces using ultraviolet photoelect
Ultraviolet photoemission spectroscopic (UPS) and x-ray photoemission spectroscopic (XPS) characterizations of indium tin oxide (ITO) surfaces prepared in ambient environment significantly lower the work function of the ITO surface. This artifact complicates the investigation of ITO surfaces and interfaces using XPS and UPS. The presented results demonstrate that, while the exposure of the sample surface to standard UPS UV sources results in a reduction of the work function within a second or le
Efficient exciton management is a key issue to improve the power conversion efficiency of organic photovoltaics (OPVs). It is well known that the insertion of an exciton blocking layer (ExBL) having a large band gap promotes the efficient dissociation of photogenerated excitons at the donor-acceptor interface. However, the large band gap induces an energy barrier which disrupts the charge transport. Therefore, building an adequate strategy based on the knowledge of the true charge transport mech
The interfacial properties of organolead halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs) affect the exciton and charge-transport dynamics significantly. Thus, proper modification of the interfaces between perovskite and charge-transport layers is an efficient method to increase the power conversion efficiency (PCE) of PSCs. In this work, we explore the effect of a nonionic surfactant, that is, Triton X-100 (TX) additive, in the poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene)-poly(styrenesulfonate) (PEDOT:PSS) hole-transp
Black phosphorus (BP) has received much attention owing to its fascinating properties, such as a high carrier mobility and tunable band gap. However, these advantages have been overshadowed by the fast degradation of BP under ambient conditions. To overcome this obstacle, the exact degradation mechanisms need to be unveiled. Herein, we analyzed two sequential degradation processes and the layer-dependent degradation rates of BP in the dark by scanning Kelvin probe microscopy (SKPM) measurements
In organolead halide perovskite solar cells (PSCs), interfacial properties between the perovskite and charge transport layers are the critical factors governing charge extraction efficiency. In this study, the effect of interfacial energetics between two-step spin-coated methylammonium lead iodide (MAPbI 3 ) with different methylammonium iodide (MAI) concentrations and C 60 on the charge extraction efficiency is investigated. The electronic structures of perovskite films are significantly varied
The luminance-voltage characteristics and stability were highly improved by replacing LiF with CsCl in organic light-emitting devices. To investigate the origin of these improvements, ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy and x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy were used. The additional shifts of the vacuum, highest occupied molecular orbital, and lowest unoccupied molecular orbital levels due to the CsCl layer reduce the width and height of the electron injection barrier, resulting in the improve
We investigated the interface formation between a ZnO nanorod array and active layers of [6,6]-phenyl-C 61 -butyric acid methyl ester (PCBM) and poly[3-hexylthiophene] (P3HT) in organic solar cells (OSC). We measured the interfacial electronic structures with in situ photoemission spectroscopy combined with an electrospray deposition system. Different interfacial electronic structures were observed on the ZnO nanorod array, which were compared to those of a two-dimensional ZnO film. Comparing th
A simple method for controlling the effective work function (WF) of conductive multilayer graphene (MLG) film, synthesized by using chemical vapor deposition and transferred to a dielectric substrate, was developed. The WFs of the MLG during the step-by-step deposition of aluminum (Al) were measured using in situ ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. Core-level spectra were also collected to investigate the chemical reaction that occurred when a small amount of Al was deposited onto MLG in a s
Research Areas
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