Efficiency Of Organic Light-emitting Devices Research Articles

Influence of High-frequency localized surface plasmon polariton effect of Al nanoparticles on luminescence efficiency of deep-blue BCzVBi OLED

It is difficult to enhance the blue or purple luminescence efficiency of organic light-emitting device ( OLED) for practice display applications. In this work, aluminum nano particles (Al-NPs) are inserted into the light-tight TmPyPb electron transporting layer (ETL) of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/TAPC/BCzVBi:BCPO/TmPyPb/Liq/Al OLEDs, in which BCzVBi can emit deep-blue fluorescent light, with the attempts to overcome the above deficiency through the local surface plasmon polariton(LSPP) effect excited in Al-NP at higher resonance frequencies by the luminescence radiations from BCzVBi. The distances of Al-NPs from BCzVBi:BCPO fluorescent layer are chosen as <i>x</i> = 4, 8, 12 nm. The morphologies observed by atom force microscope and scan electron microscope show that the Al film with a thickness of 1 nm, deposited at room temperature by vacuum heat evaporate, is composed of separated Al grains (therefore, called Al-NPs) with sizes on a 10 nm scale. By inserting these Al-NPs into the TmPyPb ETL, both the current density and luminance at the same voltage decrease in comparison with the counterparts of reference devices (i.e. ones without Al-NPs) due to the worsened carrier mobility. However, the current density and luminance both rebound significantly at <i>x</i> = 8 nm. This may be due to the fact that the fluorescence quenching strongly occurs at <i>x</i> < 8 nm, and on the other hand, the local surface plasmon polariton is weakened too much at <i>x</i> > 8 nm due to attenuated radiation from BCzVBi. At <i>x</i> = 8 nm, the voltage (9 V) at which the luminance reaches a maximum value is the same as that for the reference device, but the maximum luminance itself decreases from 4200 Cd/m<sup>2</sup> to 3500 Cd/m<sup>2</sup>. However, the current density also decreases from 335.19 mA/cm<sup>2</sup> to 145.71 mA/cm<sup>2</sup>. This conversely results in a promising great increase of current efficiency from 0.88 Cd·A<sup>–1</sup> to 2.36 Cd·A<sup>–1</sup>. Subsequently, the external quantum efficiency (EQE) is enhanced by 170%, while the efficiency roll-off ratio decreases from 78% to 30.5%, with a decrement of 61% . At a high current density of 270 mA/cm<sup>2</sup>, EQE enhances 66.5%. The coupling between fluorescence excitation state and local surface plasmon polariton is determined by the overlapping between fluorescence emitting peak and plasmon resonance peak. As aluminum has a number density of free electrons, 18.1×10<sup>22</sup> cm<sup>–3</sup>, much larger than those for the other normally used metals (such as gold and silver), its spectrum of local surface plasmon polariton is enough to cover the fluorescence wavelength range of BCzVBi. These research results show that the luminescence efficiency of deep-blue OLEDs can be turned better by LSPP excited in Al-NPs at higher resonance frequencies.

Influence of high-frequency localized surface plasmon polariton effect of Al nanoparticles on luminescence efficiency of deep-blue BCzVBi OLED

It is difficult to enhance the blue or purple luminescence efficiency of organic light-emitting device ( OLED) for practice display applications. In this work, aluminum nano particles (Al-NPs) are inserted into the light-tight TmPyPb electron transporting layer (ETL) of ITO/PEDOT:PSS/TAPC/BCzVBi:BCPO/TmPyPb/Liq/Al OLEDs, in which BCzVBi can emit deep-blue fluorescent light, with the attempts to overcome the above deficiency through the local surface plasmon polariton (LSPP) effect excited in Al-NP at higher resonance frequencies by the luminescence radiations from BCzVBi. The distances of Al-NPs from BCzVBi:BCPO fluorescent layer are chosen as <i>x</i> = 4, 8, 12 nm. The morphologies observed by atom force microscope and scan electron microscope show that the Al film with a thickness of 1 nm, deposited at room temperature by vacuum heat evaporate, is composed of separated Al grains (therefore, called Al-NPs) with sizes on a 10 nm scale. By inserting these Al-NPs into the TmPyPb ETL, both the current density and luminance at the same voltage decrease in comparison with the counterparts of reference devices (i.e. ones without Al-NPs) due to the worsened carrier mobility. However, the current density and luminance both rebound significantly at <i>x</i> = 8 nm. This may be due to the fact that the fluorescence quenching strongly occurs at <i>x</i> < 8 nm, and on the other hand, the local surface plasmon polariton is weakened too much at <i>x</i> > 8 nm due to attenuated radiation from BCzVBi. At <i>x</i> = 8 nm, the voltage (9 V) at which the luminance reaches a maximum value is the same as that for the reference device, but the maximum luminance itself decreases from 4200 Cd/m<sup>2</sup> to 3500 Cd/m<sup>2</sup>. However, the current density also decreases from 335.19 mA/cm<sup>2</sup> to 145.71 mA/cm<sup>2</sup>. This conversely results in a promising great increase of current efficiency from 0.88 Cd·A<sup>–1</sup> to 2.36 Cd·A<sup>–1</sup>. Subsequently, the external quantum efficiency (EQE) is enhanced by 170%, while the efficiency roll-off ratio decreases from 78% to 30.5%, with a decrement of 61%. At a high current density of 270 mA/cm<sup>2</sup>, EQE enhances 66.5%. The coupling between fluorescence excitation state and local surface plasmon polariton is determined by the overlapping between fluorescence emitting peak and plasmon resonance peak. As aluminum has a number density of free electrons, 18.1×10<sup>22</sup> cm<sup>–3</sup>, much larger than those for the other normally used metals (such as gold and silver), its spectrum of local surface plasmon polariton is enough to cover the fluorescence wavelength range of BCzVBi. These research results show that the luminescence efficiency of deep-blue OLEDs can be turned better by LSPP excited in Al-NPs at higher resonance frequencies.

Increasing the Light Extraction Efficiency of Organic Light-Emitting Devices by Electrochemically Corroded Patterned Substrates.

A substrate with microstructure can increase the light extraction efficiency of OLEDs. However, the present preparation methods for micro- and nanostructures are not suited for broad-area manufacturing. In this research, we suggested an electrochemical etching approach to patterning Si substrates and effectively generated a vast area of micro-/nanostructures on the surface of Si. We created OLEDs using this patterned substrate. It was discovered through this study that when the current density is 100 mA/cm2, the brightness increases by 1.67 times and the efficiency increases by 1.43 times, over a planar equivalent. In the future, this electrochemical etching process for patterned silicon substrates might give rise to a new approach to the large-scale manufacture of microstructured silicon substrates.

Characteristics of phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices with interfacial nanolayers of acid molecule-doped tris(4-aminophenyl)amine

Here we report that 2-acrylamido-2-methyl-1-propanesulfonic acid (AMPSA)-doped tris(4-aminophenyl)amine (TAPA) can act as an interfacial layer for hole injection in phosphorescent organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) and deliver improved device stability upon electric fields. The acid-base reaction between TAPA and AMPSA was carried out using 2-methoxy ethanol solvent with various molar ratios (0–300 mol. %). The resulting TAPA:AMPSA layers (1–10 nm thick) were spin-coated on indium-tin-oxide (ITO)-glasses and selectively annealed before the thermal deposition of organic small molecular multilayers in a vacuum. The doping reaction between TAPA and AMPSA gave rise to a new absorption peak at a wavelength of ca. 880 nm. The work function of TAPA:AMPSA layer-coated ITO-glasses increased with the molar ratio, but the highest luminance and efficiency of OLEDs were achieved at 100 mol. % (AMPSA to TAPA). The thickness control and thermal treatment process of TAPA:AMPSA layers (100 mol. %) could further enhance the luminance (from ca. 5000 cd/m2 (t = 10 nm) to 15,500 cd/m2 (t = 2 nm)) with relatively high device stability upon electric field compared to the pristine TAPA layers.

Efficient Photon Extraction in Top-Emission Organic Light-Emitting Devices Based on Ampicillin Microstructures.

The desire to enhance the efficiency of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) has driven to the investigation of advanced materials with fascinating properties. In this work, the efficiency of top-emission OLEDs (TEOLEDs) is enhanced by introducing ampicillin microstructures (Amp-MSs) with dual phases (α-/β-phase) that induce photoluminescence (PL) and electroluminescence (EL). Moreover, Amp-MSs can adjust the charge balance by Fermi level (EF ) alignment, thereby decreasing the leakage current. The decrease in the wave-guided modes can enhance the light outcoupling through optical scattering. The resulting TEOLED demonstrates a record-high external quantum efficiency (EQE) (maximum: 68.7% and average: 63.4% at spectroradiometer; maximum: 44.8% and average: 42.6% at integrating sphere) with a wider color gamut (118%) owing to the redshift of the spectrum by J-aggregation. Deconvolution of the EL intensities is performed to clarify the contribution of Amp-MSs to the device EQE enhancement (optical scattering by Amp-MSs: 17.0%, PL by radiative energy transfer: 9.1%, and EL by J-aggregated excitons: 4.6%). The proposed TEOLED outperforms the existing frameworks in terms of device efficiency.

Higher Light Extraction Efficiency in Organic Light-Emitting Devices by Employing 2D Periodic Corrugation.

Photons trapped in the form of waveguide (WG) modes associated with the organic–organic interface and in the form of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes associated with the metallic electrode–organic interface result in a large energy loss in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). Introducing gratings onto the metallic electrode is especially crucial for recovering the power lost to the associated SPP modes. In our research, we demonstrate the efficient outcoupling of SPP modes in TE mode by two-dimensional (2D) grating, which cannot excited in one-dimensional (1D) grating OLED. This causes a 62.5% increase in efficiency from 2D grating OLED than 1D grating OLED. The efficient outcoupling of the WG and SPP modes is verified by the numerical simulation of both the emission spectra and the field distribution.

Enhancing the light out-coupling efficiency of organic light-emitting devices with random corrugated structures

The mismatch of refractive index at the interfaces of substrate, electrode/organic material will cause nearly 80% light losses in the organic light-emitting device (OLED). To solve this problem, a light extraction layer with random corrugated structures is fabricated with a quite simple method to enhance the light out-coupling efficiency of OLED. Compared with the planar OLED, about 21% enhancement of current efficiency is achieved in the corrugated OLED. This improvement comes from the scattering effect of polymer phase separation film, which can suppress surface plasmon polariton losses and reduce waveguide mode optical losses. In addition, the structures can decrease the angular dependence of the emission spectra in the planar OLED. With these advantages, the random corrugated structures provide the potential to be applicable to OLED for high-efficiency lighting and full-color display.

Enhanced efficiency of organic light-emitting devices by using a directly imprinted nanopillared ultrathin metallic electrode.

An ultrathin metal film with high transmittance and conductivity has been demonstrated to be a promising transparent electrode for organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). However, mediocre surface morphology and continuity of evaporated metal films and the surface plasmon-polaritons (SPPs) energy loss between the metal electrode and organic layer still limit the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of OLEDs. Here, nanoimprint lithography has been directly applied on the ultrathin Au film with underlying uncured photopolymer to fabricate the nanopillared anode. Both the conductivity and transmittance of the nanopillared ultrathin Au film have been improved due to the improvement of continuity and surface smoothness. As we expected, the SPPs mode has been coupled into photons and further extracted from OLEDs by using the nanopillared Au film anode. Finally, 19.2% and 70.1% enhancement of current efficiency were achieved compared to the planar device with ultrathin Au anode and ITO anode, respectively.

Molecular Orientations of Delayed Fluorescent Emitters in a Series of Carbazole-Based Host Materials.

Molecular orientation is one of the most crucial factors to boost the efficiency of organic light-emitting devices. However, active control of molecular orientation of the emitter molecule by the host molecule is rarely realized so far, and the underlying mechanism is under discussion. Here, we systematically investigated the molecular orientations of thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) emitters in a series of carbazole-based host materials. Enhanced horizontal orientation of the TADF emitters was achieved. The degree of enhancement observed was dependent on the host material used. Consequently, our results indicate that π-π stacking, CH/n (n = O, N) weak hydrogen bonds, and multiple CH/π contacts greatly induce horizontal orientation of the TADF emitters in addition to the molecular shape anisotropy. Finally, we fabricated TADF-based organic light-emitting devices with an external quantum efficiency (ηext) of 26% using an emission layer with horizontal orientation ratio (Θ) of 79%, which is higher than that of an almost randomly oriented emission layer with Θ of 62% (ηext = 22%).

Highly efficient blue organic light-emitting devices based on an exciplex host with thermally activated delayed fluorescence

Thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) resulting from the harvesting of triplet excitons has currently emerged as an excellent candidate for enhancing the efficiency of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). Highly efficient blue OLEDs based on an exciplex host with carbazole/thioxanthene-S, S-dioxide (EBCz-ThX) and 2-phenyl-bis-4, 6-(3, 5-di-4-pyridylphenyl) pyrimidine (B4PYPPM) acting as a blue TADF emitter were fabricated. The maximum values of the current and the power efficiency for the blue OLEDs with an EBCz-ThX:B4PYPPM exciplex host were 22.46 cd/A and 28.23 lm/W, respectively. The power efficiency of blue OLEDs with an exciplex host was much higher than that of conventional blue OLEDs. The efficiency enhancement of the blue OLEDs based on an exciplex system with a TADF emitter was attributed to the efficient up-conversion of the triplet excitons in the EBCz-thx:B4PYPPM and to the efficient energy transfer from the exciplex host to the blue TADF emitter.

Enhanced efficiency of organic light-emitting devices with corrugated nanostructures based on soft nano-imprinting lithography

An enhanced efficiency organic light-emitting device (OLED) with corrugated nanostructures on a small-molecule organic film has been demonstrated. By patterning the hole transport layer via soft nano-imprinting lithography and coating with Ag, a nanostructured cathode is introduced to enhance the light extraction of the OLED without affecting the flatness and conductivity of the indium-tin-oxide film. Both luminance and current efficiency are improved compared with those of conventional planar devices. The observable improvement in luminance and current efficiency can be ascribed to the surface plasmonic and scattering effects caused by the Ag nanostructures. Moreover, theoretical simulations also demonstrate that the power loss to surface plasmon-polariton modes has been recovered.

Enhancement of the current efficiency of organic light-emitting devices due to the surface plasmonic resonance effect of dodecanethilol-functionalized Au nanoparticles

The photoluminescence intensity of the dodecanethilol-functionalized Au (DDT-Au) nanoparticle (NP) layer/4,4′-cyclohexylidenebis[N,N-bis(4-methylphenyl)benzenamine] (TAPC)/4,4′-bis(N-carbazolyl)-1,1′-biphenyl:tris(2-phenylpyridine)iridium (III) (CPB:Ir(ppy)3) film was increased by about 1.15 times compared to that of the TAPC/CPB:Ir(ppy)3 film due to the effect of coupling between the excitons in the emitting layer and a localized surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR) in the DDT-Au NPs. The current efficiency of the organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) with the DDT-Au NP layer at 100 cd/m2 was 14.9 cd/A larger than that without the DDT-Au NP layer, resulting in an enhancement of the out-coupling efficiency. The increase in the current efficiency of the OLEDs with a DDT-Au NP layer was attributed to the enhanced out-coupling efficiency due to the existence of the LSPR generated by the DDT-Au NPs.

Reduction of the Optical Loss in the Multi-Cathode Structure Organic Light Emitting Device Using a Long Range Surface Plasmon

Light extraction efficiency of organic light-emitting devices has improved by using a nano-sized multi-cathode structure consisting of semi-transparent metal and an optical compensation layer. From the detail optical calculation based on the multi-scale analysis including near-field optics, it was found that surface plasmon loss in the metal cathode is suppressed to less than 10% due to long range and short range surface plasmon coupling between both sides of metal cathode. Not less than 90% of optical power in the dipole emission can be successfully utilized as propagation light. Light extraction efficiency in a phosphorescent device has improved about twice by using the multi-cathode structure.

Highly Efficient Bilayer-Structure Yellow-Green OLED with MADN Hole-Transport Layer and the Impedance Spectroscopy Analysis

Abstract Highly efficient bilayer-structure yellow-green organic light-emitting device (OLED) has been demonstrated based on MADN as hole-transport layer (HTL) and host-guest coped system of [Alq₃: 0.7 Wt% rubrene] as emitting and electron-trans- port layer. The device gives yellow-green emission through incomplete energy transfer from the host of Alq₃ to the guest of ru- brene. An electroluminescent peak of 560 nm, 1931 CIE color coordinates of (0.46, 0.52) and a maximum current efficiency of 7.63 cd · A⁻¹ (which has been enhanced by 30% in comparison with the counterpart having conventional NPB HTL) are ob- served. The hole-transporting characteristics of MADN and NPB have been systematically investigated by constructing hole-only devices and employing impedance spectroscopy analysis. Our results indicate that MADN can be served as an effective hole-trans- port material and its hole-transporting ability is slightly inferior to NPB. This overcomes the shortcoming of hole transporting more quickly than electron in OLED and improves carrier balance in the emitting layer. Consequently, the device current efficien- cy is promoted. In addition, the current efficiency of bilayer-structure OLED with MADN as HTL is comparable to that of conv- entinol trilayer-structure device with MADN as HTL and Alq₃ as electron-transport layer. This indicates that the simplified bi- layer-structure device can be achieved without sacrificing current efficiency. The emitting layer of [Alq: 0.7 Wt% rubrene possesses superior elecron-transporting ability.

Enhanced current efficiency of organic light-emitting devices due to a broad localized surface plasmonic resonance of Au–ZnO nanocomposites

Organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) were fabricated with Au–ZnO nanocomposites (NCs) synthesized by using a sol–gel process in order to enhance their current efficiency. Photoluminescence (PL) and time-resolved PL spectra showed an enhanced fluorescence emission due to the localized surface plasmonic resonance (LSPR) of the Au–ZnO NCs. The electroluminescence intensity of the OLEDs with Au–ZnO NCs at a wavelength of 523nm was significantly increased by a factor of 0.84 in comparison with that of the OLEDs with ZnO nanoparticles (NPs). The current efficiency of the OLEDs with Au–ZnO NCs at 50mA/cm2 was 0.46cd/A higher than that of the OLEDs with ZnO NPs. The enhanced current efficiency in the OLEDs with Au–ZnO NCs was dominantly attributed to the existence of the LSPR due to the presence of the Au NPs in the ZnO layer.

Enhancement of the Luminance Efficiency in Organic Light-Emitting Devices with p-Substituted Phenylphosphonic-Acid Self-Assembled Monolayers.

Organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) containing self-assembled monolayers (SAMs) prepared by using p-substituted phenylphosponic acids on indium-tin-oxide electrodes were fabricated and examined to understand the substituent effect of the SAMs on the device performance. OLEDs modified by using (4-methoxyphenyl)phosphonic acid (MOPPA) SAMs or (4-chlorophenyl)phosphonic acid (CPPA) SAMs, both with electron withdrawing groups, had enhanced hole injection, reduced operating voltage, and remarkably increased current density and luminance efficiency compared with those without SAMs. The luminance efficiency which was the ratio of luminous flux to power for OLEDs containing CPPA SAMs and that for the OLEDs containing MOPPA SAMs were enhanced 2.2 and 1.9 times, respectively, in comparison with that of OLEDs without SAMs. CPPA SAMs significantly reduced the operating voltage of OLED by 24.8% compared with OLEDs without SAMs.

Light out-coupling enhancement of organic light emitting devices using nano-structured substrate produced by rapid thermal processing

We report significant enhancement in light out-coupling efficiency of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) using a nano-structured substrate by rapid thermal processing (RTP). On the backside of the indium tin oxide (ITO) coated glass substrate a thin film of magnesium fluoride (MgF2) was coated by thermal evaporation. Nano-structured films of MgF2 and ITO were then produced by RTP on both sides of the glass substrate. Bottom-emitting OLEDs were fabricated on the ITO-coated glass substrate with α-NPD as the hole transport layer, Alq3 as the emissive layer, and LiF and aluminum as the cathode. On the backside of the glass substrate nano-structured MgF2 were fabricated by RTP. Experimental results of enhancement of electroluminescent intensity (EL) with and without nano-structured films are presented. Results of EL intensity of OLED are also compared with the uniform MgF2 film coated on the backside of the substrate. It was found that the enhancement of EL intensity is much higher in the case of nano-porous MgF2 film than in the case of uniform MgF2 coated on the backside of the glass substrate.

Enhanced efficiency of organic light-emitting devices by employing a periodically corrugated conductive photoresist

Photons trapped in the form of waveguide (WG) modes associated with the organic/organic interface and in the form of surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes associated with the metallic electrode/organic interface result in a large energy loss in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs). We demonstrate the efficient outcoupling of WG and SPP modes by integrating a wavelength-scale periodically corrugated conductive photoresist into the device structure. The corrugated OLEDs with appropriate grating periods lead to a 15.9% increase in efficiency compared with the planar OLEDs. The efficient outcoupling of the WG and SPP modes is verified by the numerical simulation of both the emission spectra and the field distribution.

Enhanced Light Outcoupling Efficiency in Organic Light-Emitting Devices Using Irregular Microlenses Fabricated with 3D Colloidal Arrays

Enhanced Light Outcoupling Efficiency in Organic Light-Emitting Devices Using Irregular Microlenses Fabricated with 3D Colloidal Arrays

Tunable microcavities in organic light-emitting diodes by way of low-refractive-index polymer doping

A method for enhancing the light out-coupling efficiency of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) has been demonstrated by blending a low-refractive-index polymer, poly(2,2,3,3,3-pentafluoropropyl methacrylate) (PPFPMA), into the emission layer. The resonant wavelength of the weak microcavity devices blueshifted accompanied with a decrease in refractive indices of the light-emitting layers after the addition of PPFPMA. Stronger directed emission toward the surface normal was obtained when the resonant wavelength became closer to the peak wavelength of intrinsic emission spectrum of the organic emitters. The luminous efficiency of the devices was enhanced by more than 20%. The results suggest that the microcavity properties of the OLEDs can be tunable through blending low-refractive-index materials.