Active Layer Of Light-emitting Diodes Research Articles

Scalable Bilayer MoS2‐Based Vertically Inverted p–i–n Light‐Emitting Diodes

AbstractHerein, a vertically inverted p–i–n architecture of light‐emitting diodes (LEDs) is designed for manufacturing feasibility and demonstrated scalable bilayer MoS2‐based LEDs. A 4 inch scale bilayer MoS2 is prepared by a two‐step growth method allocating the pre‐deposition of a few‐nm thick metal film and post‐sulfurization. To apply bilayer MoS2 for an active layer in LEDs, the film is transferred over ZnO nanoparticle layers, an electron transfer layer, and then the rest of the LED components are constructed by thermal deposition. This vertically inverted LED architecture allows individual organic or inorganic components to incorporate without degradation during the wet‐transfer process and transfer electron or hole carriers across separate layers, resulting in efficient radiative recombination in the MoS2 emitting layer. MoS2‐based LEDs exhibit electroluminescence of ≈5.41 cd m−2 throughout four active areas of 6.25 mm2 at a driving voltage of 7 V. Therefore, this achievement can overcome the drawbacks of existing transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs)‐based optoelectrical applications and extend its potential in various fields, such as flexible, ultrathin, or transparent displays.

Schiff Base Zinc(II) Complexes as Promising Emitters for Blue Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

Organometallic blue fluorescent Zn(II) Schiff base complexes are synthesized and explored computationally in order to use them in organic electroluminescent heterostructures. Characterization of these pyrazolone-based azomethine–zinc complexes was accomplished by various physicochemical techniques to get insight into their applicability as an active layer in light-emitting diodes. All the complexes demonstrate high thermal stability and remarkable photoluminescence both in solution and in the solid state with maximum in the blue region. Quantum chemical calculations of the first exited electronic state and vertical singlet–singlet electronic transitions by means of time-dependent density functional theory calculations and results show that the origin of the luminescence for the target complexes refers to the intraligand charge transfer within the Schiff bases. The constructed light-emitting diodes demonstrate low input voltage (3.2–4.0 V), brightness at a level of 4300–11,600 Cd m–2, and external quantum efficiency of up to 3.2%, which is a good value for purely fluorescent organic light-emitting diodes.

Origin of Broad-Band Emission and Impact of Structural Dimensionality in Tin-Alloyed Ruddlesden–Popper Hybrid Lead Iodide Perovskites

Hybrid organic–inorganic lead halide perovskites have shown promising results as active layers in light-emitting diodes, typically utilizing the near-monochromatic, free exciton emission. Some perovskite compounds, however, show broad-band emission that is more intense than the free exciton counterpart. In this study, we show that the light emission properties of Ruddlesden–Popper hybrid perovskites PEA2MAn–1PbnI3n+1 (PEA = phenethylammonium, MA = methylammonium) can be tuned by Sn alloying and are highly sensitive to Sn %. With increasing dimensionality, the broad-band emission quantum yield decreases drastically, from 23% in n = 1 to <1% for the n = 3 compound. Using density functional theory calculations and transient reflectance spectroscopy, the broad emission is identified as originating from self-trapped excitons. A dynamic picture of the formation process is also presented, for which ultrafast (<5 ps) hole-trapping at the Sn site is the first step, followed by electron localization from Coulombic ...

Light Emission Enhancement by Tuning the Structural Phase of APbBr3 (A = CH3NH3, Cs) Perovskites.

Lead halide perovskite (APbX3) has recently emerged as a promising active layer in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) as well as an absorber for photovoltaic devices. For better LED properties, it is important to understand the fundamental mechanism of the optoelectronic behaviors, e.g., how the nanostructure of the APbX3 thin film correlates with its emitting properties. We investigated the effect of APbBr3 (A = CH3NH3, Cs) crystallite size on the photophysical properties regarding its crystallographic changes and spin-orbit coupling. Photoluminescence lifetime measurements, X-ray and electron diffraction analyses, and density functional theory calculations were performed. We demonstrate that the emitting properties of mesoscale APbBr3 crystallites are improved due to the formation of a pure cubic phase that leads to the spin- and momentum-allowed carrier recombination. Our findings provide fundamental insights into the emitting behavior of APbBr3, which suggests a control of its optoelectronic properties by means of modulating the crystal morphology and resultant electronic band structures.

Enhancement of the light-extraction efficiency of light-emitting diodes with SiO2 photonic crystals

In this paper, we proposed a method of using SiO2 photonic crystals (PhC) to improve the light-extraction efficiency (LEE) of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Numerical simulations based on the finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) algorithm were performed to reveal the mechanism of using SiO2 PhC to improve the light extraction of LEDs. The effects of several critical parameters, including the depth, the filling factor, and the radius of SiO2 PhC on the enhancement of LEE were investigated. The rigorous coupled-wave analysis (RCWA) method was utilized to verify the variation trends we got from the FDTD simulations. The LEE of the LEDs with normal air-hole PhC structures and the conventional planar LEDs were also studied for comparison. According to our calculations, more than 37% improvement has been achieved in the LEE of the SiO2 PhC LEDs in comparison to that of the conventional planar LEDs. And SiO2 PhC LEDs obtained more light extraction than normal air-hole PhC LEDs. The influences of the SiO2 PhC on the current density and the temperature distributions in the active layer of LEDs have also been discussed in this paper. Results demonstrated no noticeable degradation in electrical and thermal characteristics under high current injections.

Dynamical heterogeneity in a vapor-deposited polymer glass.

Recently, there has been great interest in "ultrastable" glasses formed via vapor deposition, both because of emerging engineering applications of these materials (e.g., active layers in light-emitting diodes and photovoltaics) and, theoretically, as materials for probing the equilibrium properties of glassy materials below their glass transition, based on the conjecture that these materials are equivalent to glassy materials aged over astronomical time scales. We use molecular dynamics simulations to examine the properties of ultrastable vapor-deposited and ordinary polymer glasses. Based on the difference in the energy of the deposited and ordinary films, we estimate the effective cooling rate for the vapor deposited films to be 1 to 3 orders of magnitude larger than that of the ordinary film, depending on the deposition temperature. Similarly, we find an increase in the average segmental relaxation time of the vapor-deposited film compared to the ordinary glass. On the other hand, the normal mode spectrum is essentially identical for the vapor-deposited and the ordinary glass film, suggesting that the high-frequency dynamics should be similar. In short, the segmental relaxation dynamics of the polymer vapor-deposited glass are consistent with those of an ordinary polymer glass with a somewhat slower effective cooling rate. Of course, one would expect a larger effect on dynamics approaching the experimental glass transition, where the cooling rates are much slower than accessible in simulation. To more precisely probe the relationship between the dynamics of these glasses, we examine dynamical heterogeneity within the film. Due to the substantial mobility gradient in the glassy films, we find that it is crucial to distinguish the dynamics of the middle part of the film from those of the entire film. Considering the film as a whole, the average dynamical heterogeneity is dominated by the mobility gradient, and as a consequence the heterogeneity is nearly indistinguishable between the ordinary and vapor deposited glass films. In contrast, in the middle part of the film, where there is almost no mobility gradient, we find the dynamical heterogeneity within the deposited film is somewhat larger than that of the ordinary film at the same temperature. We further show that the scale of the interfacial region grows on cooling in the equilibrium film, but this trend reverses in the glass state. We attribute this reversal in part to a shrinking ratio of the relaxation time in the middle of the film to that of the interfacial layer in the non-equilibrium state. The dynamics in this mobile interfacial layer for the ordinary and deposited film are nearly the same, suggesting that the interfacial region is always in a near-equilibrium state. These results emphasize the importance of distinguishing between interfacial and internal relaxation processes in this emerging class of materials.

Electrical-optical analysis of photonic crystals GaN-based high power light emitting diodes

Although photonic crystals (PhCs) have been used to enhance the light extraction efficiency (LEE) of light emitting diodes (LEDs) in a lot of researches, the effects of PhCs on the electrical and optical characteristics of GaN-based high power LEDs have been rarely analyzed simultaneously. Herein, the 3D finite-element method (FEM) was employed to investigate the current density distribution in the active layer of LEDs while the LEE was calculated based on the finite-difference time-domain method. Then the influences of several parameters, including the radius, the filling factor, and the etching depth of PhCs on the current density distribution and external quantum efficiency (EQE) of LEDs were examined. It was found that the configurations of PhCs had a significant influence on the electrical and optical performances of LEDs. With the optimized parameters, a 62 % enhancement of EQE and more uniform current density distribution have been obtained comparing to those of LEDs with planar ITO. These analysis results can facilitate the identification of the design rules for high power, high efficiency LEDs.

Tunable molecular orientation and elevated thermal stability of vapor-deposited organic semiconductors

Physical vapor deposition is commonly used to prepare organic glasses that serve as the active layers in light-emitting diodes, photovoltaics, and other devices. Recent work has shown that orienting the molecules in such organic semiconductors can significantly enhance device performance. We apply a high-throughput characterization scheme to investigate the effect of the substrate temperature (Tsubstrate) on glasses of three organic molecules used as semiconductors. The optical and material properties are evaluated with spectroscopic ellipsometry. We find that molecular orientation in these glasses is continuously tunable and controlled by Tsubstrate/Tg, where Tg is the glass transition temperature. All three molecules can produce highly anisotropic glasses; the dependence of molecular orientation upon substrate temperature is remarkably similar and nearly independent of molecular length. All three compounds form "stable glasses" with high density and thermal stability, and have properties similar to stable glasses prepared from model glass formers. Simulations reproduce the experimental trends and explain molecular orientation in the deposited glasses in terms of the surface properties of the equilibrium liquid. By showing that organic semiconductors form stable glasses, these results provide an avenue for systematic performance optimization of active layers in organic electronics.

Direct Integration of Polycrystalline Graphene into Light Emitting Diodes by Plasma-Assisted Metal-Catalyst-Free Synthesis

The integration of graphene into devices is a challenging task because the preparation of a graphene-based device usually includes graphene growth on a metal surface at elevated temperatures (∼1000 °C) and a complicated postgrowth transfer process of graphene from the metal catalyst. Here we report a direct integration approach for incorporating polycrystalline graphene into light emitting diodes (LEDs) at low temperature by plasma-assisted metal-catalyst-free synthesis. Thermal degradation of the active layer in LEDs is negligible at our growth temperature, and LEDs could be fabricated without a transfer process. Moreover, in situ ohmic contact formation is observed between DG and p-GaN resulting from carbon diffusion into the p-GaN surface during the growth process. As a result, the contact resistance is reduced and the electrical properties of directly integrated LEDs outperform those of LEDs with transferred graphene electrodes. This relatively simple method of graphene integration will be easily adoptable in the industrialization of graphene-based devices.

Improved Output Power of GaN-based Blue LEDs by Forming Air Voids on Ar-Implanted Sapphire Substrate

This paper investigates GaN-based blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) grown on sapphire substrates with selective-area Ar-ion implantation. The GaN-based epitaxial layers grown on the Ar-implanted sapphire substrates (Ar-ISS) exhibited selective growth and subsequent lateral growth because of different lattice constants between the implantation and implantation-free regions. As a result, air voids were formed at the GaN/sapphire interface, above the implanted regions and below the active layers of LEDs. We proposed the GaN layer growth mechanisms on the Ar-ISS, and characterized the LEDs with embedded air voids at the GaN/sapphire interface. Using a 20-mA current injection, the light output of the experimental LEDs was found to be 15% greater than that of conventional LEDs. This enhancement can be attributed to the light scattering at the textured GaN/air void interfaces, which increases the probability of photons escaping from the LEDs.

Transmission electron microscope observation of organic–inorganic hybrid thin active layers of light-emitting diodes

We performed transmission electron microscope (TEM) observation of organic–inorganic hybrid thin films fabricated by the sol–gel reaction and used as the active layers of organic light-emitting diodes. The cross-sectional TEM images show that the films consist of a triple-layer structure. To evaluate the composition of these layers, the distribution of atoms in them was measured by energy-dispersive X-ray fluorescence spectroscopy. As a result, most of the organic emissive material, poly(9,9-dioctyl-fluorene-co-N-4-butylphenyl-diphenylamine (TFB), was found to be distributed in the middle layer sandwiched by SiO and SiO2 layers. The surface SiO layer was fabricated due to the lack of oxygen. This means that the best sol–gel condition was changed due to the TFB doping; thus, the novel best condition should be found.

Colloidal CuInSe2 Nanocrystals in the Quantum Confinement Regime: Synthesis, Optical Properties, and Electroluminescence

Photoluminescent, near-stoichiometric colloidal CuInSe2 nanocrystals are synthesized in large batches and with good colloidal quality. An organometallic method is used with a moderate reaction temperature (≤200 °C) to produce CuInSe2 nanocrystals with size-tunable photoluminescence spectra ranging from ∼600 to ∼850 nm. Two-dimensional photoluminescence excitation–emission maps are reported for the CuInSe2 nanocrystals, highlighting the size-tunable excitonic features. Type I heterostructured CuInSe2/ZnS nanocrystals are prepared and purified. They are found to have absolute photoluminescence quantum yields up to ∼26%. The potential to use CuInSe2/ZnS core/shell nanocrystals as a potential low toxicity active layer in light-emitting diodes is demonstrated by fabricating electroluminescent devices.

Nano-Organization of Amylose-b-Polystyrene Block Copolymer Films Doped with Bipyridine

This paper discusses the self-assembly of rod-coil amylose-b-polystyrene (Mal-b-PS) block copolymer thick and thin films. The nano-organization falls in an interdomain spacing d of about 10 nm, much smaller than flexible-flexible petrol block copolymer systems. Additionally, hydrogen-bonding interactions between carbohydrate rods (amylose) and 4',4-bipyridine (bipy) molecules induces phase transitions. Indeed, adding bipy in maltooctadecaose-block-polystyrene (Mal18-b-PS) copolymers results, at room temperature, in the formation of a lamellar phase having Mal18 bipy-rich nanodomains instead of hexagonal close-packed (HCP) of cylinders made of Mal18, whereas a coexistence of Mal7bipy-rich cylindrical and spherical nanodomains are formed from maltoheptaose-b-polystyrene (Mal7-b-PS) copolymers instead of a poorly organized array of Mal7-based cylinders. On heating, the Mal7bipy-b-PS system shows more rich phase behavior as compared to the Mal7-b-PS one due to weakening of hydrogen bonding with temperature. Such a system is of great interest in developing active layers in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) or in photovoltaic cells to realize devices with an optimal structure, that is, having large interface area and domain size with similar exciton diffusion length (10 nm).

Luminous performance improvement of InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes by modulating In content in well layers

InGaN/GaN triangular shaped multiple quantum wells (MQWs) grown on sapphire substrate were adopted as an active layer of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) by modulating In content in well layers. The temperature dependence of the normalized integrated photoluminescence (PL) intensity showed that the overlap of the electron and hole wave-functions of the LEDs with triangular shaped MQW is much higher than that of the LEDs with conventional rectangular MQW structures, which improves the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) to a certain degree. On the other hand, it was found that the blue shift of the peak energy as a function of injection current is improved for the device with triangular shaped MQW structure from the electroluminescence (EL) spectra of the two series devices. The comparison above indicates that the triangular MQW LEDs are more efficient and more stable.

Performance improvement of InGaN/GaN light-emitting diodes with triangular- shaped multiple quantum wells

Triangular-shaped InGaN/GaN multiple quantum wells (MQWs) grown on a sapphire substrate were adopted as an active layer of light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The temperature dependence of the normalized integrated photoluminescence (PL) intensity showed that the internal quantum efficiency (IQE) of the LEDs with triangular-shaped MQW is much higher than that of the LEDs with conventional rectangular MQW structures. The electroluminescence (EL) spectra of the two series devices have been comparatively studied as functions of injection current. It was found that the device with the triangular-shaped MQW structure exhibited a stronger intensity and a narrower linewidth. Furthermore, the peak energy is nearly independent of the injection current, indicating that the triangular MQW LEDs are more efficient and stable than the rectangular ones.

Luminescence properties of bipolar stylbeneamine–quinoxalines

Novel electroluminescent materials combining three functionalities were used as active layers in light-emitting diodes. These functionalities are brought about by the presence of three moieties: diphenylstylbeneamines, for hole transport, quinoxaline, for electron-transport, and a dehydroabietic acid methyl ester, to prevent crystallisation. The devices prepared with these materials and with magnesium cathodes show efficiencies up to 0.03 cd/A, which is about one order of magnitude higher than the efficiency obtained with the related diphenylstylbeneamines.

High-Extraction-Efficiency Blue Light-Emitting Diode Using Extended-Pitch Photonic Crystal

We have integrated the surface photonic crystal (PhC) on GaN-based blue light-emitting diodes (LEDs) for the first time in order to enhance the extraction efficiency of the LEDs. With the finite-difference time-domain method, we have calculated 3.6-fold enhancement in light output. The theoretical calculations have revealed that the optimum pitch of the PhC is much longer than the emission wavelength when the distance between the PhC and the active layer of LEDs is short. This design enables PhC formation on chemically stable GaN surfaces. In addition, an indium tin oxide (ITO)-based transparent electrode is formed directly on the surface of PhC to realize light emission from the whole area of the LED. The fabricated PhCs have increased the light output of blue LEDs by 1.5 times compared with the LEDs without PhC. We have demonstrated that PhC will realize highly efficient solid-state lighting with GaN-based LEDs.

Electroluminescence in Semiconducting Conjugated Polymers and Oligomers: A Quantum-chemical Perspective

We discuss in this contribution the ability of quantum-chemical calculations to describe the essential aspects of one of the most promising applications of semiconducting conjugated polymers and oligomers, i.e., their use as active layers in light-emitting diodes (LEDs). We present an overview of the results of recent theoretical studies that we have performed on oligomers representative of polyparaphenylenevinylene and polythio-phene. We mostly deal with: (i) the modelling of the linear optical properties of the conjugated polymers involved in the emitting layer, taking into account the vibronic structure; (ii) the investigation of the relative locations of. and relaxation phenomena taking place in. the lowest singlet and triplet excited states; and (iii) a general discussion of the various terms contributing to the polaron-exciton binding energy.

Blue and green light emission from new soluble alternating copolymers

Visible‐light‐emitting alternating copolymers consisting of two different repeat units have been investigated. The synthesis and optical characterization of PDHFPPV (top in Figure) and PDHEMPV (bottom in Figure) are described. It is shown that these soluble copolymers can be used as the active layer in light‐emitting diodes, just like the corresponding homopolymers. magnified image

Influence of silicon atoms on the ?-conjugation in electroluminescent polymers

By means of the valence effective Hamiltonian (VEH) method, we calculated the electronic structure for a polymer containing poly(para-phenylene vinylene) (PPV) and dimethoxy-poly(para-phenylene) (PPP) units as well as silicon atoms used as spacers. The equilibrium geometry was obtained by an AM1 calculation. We obtained a band gap of 3.2 eV, which corresponds to emittance in the blue part of the spectrum. This polymer is used as the active layer in light-emitting diodes. © 1997 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.