LOW-TEMPERATURE THERMOLUMINESCENCE IN POLY(METHYL-PHENYLSILYLENE)

The low-temperature thermally stimulated luminescence (TSL) technique has been applied for probing the energetic disorder of localized state s in poly(methyl-phenylsilylene) (PMPSi), The results are described in terms of the disorder model and the energetic relaxation of photogene rated charge carriers within a manifold of the states of Gaussian dist ribution, providing reasonable understanding of all observed trends in the TSL. Analysis of both the energetic position of the TSL peak maxi mum and the shape of its high-energy wing allowed to extract a paramet er characterized the energetic disorder in PMPSi, the value of which c oincided well with the width of the density-of-states determined from charge carrier transport measurements. The concept of the transport en ergy was also considered in the analysis, The problem of the photochem ical stability of PMPSi as well as the appearance of new charge carrie r trapping centers after the polymer photodegradation, is briefly outl ined. (C) 1998 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.