Small OLEDs

In Section 13.2, we introduce the materials used in OLEDs. The most obvious classification of the organic materials used in OLEDs is small molecule versus polymer. This distinction relates more to the processing methods used than to the basic principles of operation of the final device. Small molecule materials are typically coated by thermal evaporation in vacuum, whereas polymers are usually spin-coated from solution. Vacuum evaporation lends itself to easy coaling of successive layers. With solution processing, one must consider the compatibility of each layer with the solvents used for coating subsequent layers. Increasingly, multilayered polymer devices arc being described in the literature and, naturally, hybrid devices with layers of both polymer and small molecule have been made. 

There have been numerous studies of the electrical and emission properties of conjugated polymer-, small molecule-, and molecularly doped polymer-based OLEDs. The current-voltage and radiance-voltage characteristics have been nica sured as a function of thickness of the organic layer, temperature, different metal electrodes, etc. in an attempt to understand the device physics. A major factor in hibiting progress is the purity of the organic impurities that are incorporated dur-... 

To date, most small molecule-based OLEDs are prepared by vapor deposition of the metal-organic light-emitting molecules. Such molecules must, therefore, be thermally stable, highly fluorescent (in the solid state), form thin films on vacuum deposition, and be capable of transporting electrons. These properties limit the number of metal coordination compounds that can be used in OLED fabrication. 

The future for the use of coordination compounds in phosphors looks very bright indeed. Man s need to illuminate his surroundings, transfer information, and display that information efficiently can only mean an ever more demanding and growing marketplace for materials that emit light. Coordination compounds are, and will remain, in widespread use as both precursors in phosphor synthesis and as major constituents in small molecule OLEDs. 

FIGURE 1.7 Multilayer small molecule OLED structure. 

The phenomenon of organic EL was first demonstrated using a small-molecule fluorescent emitter in a vapor-deposited OLED device. The Kodak group first used metal oxinoid materials such as the octahedral complex aluminum tris-8-hydroxyquinoline (Alq3) (discussed above as an ETM) as the fluorescent green emitter in their pioneering work on OLED architectures [167],... 

Spiro-FPAl/TPBI/Bphen Cs/Al. A very low operating voltage of 3.4 V at luminance of 1000 cd/m2 was obtained, which is the lowest value reported for either small-molecule or polymer blue electroluminescent devices. Pure blue color with CIE coordinates (0.14, 0.14) have been measured with very high current (4.5 cd/A) and quantum efficiencies (3.0% at 100 cd/m2 at 3.15 V) [245]. In another paper, Spiro-FPA2 (126) was used as a host material with an OLED device structure of ITO/CuPc/NPD/spiro-FPA2 l%TBP/Alq3/LiF that produces a high luminescent efficiency of 4.9 cd/A [246]. 

Another important early advance made by Tang et al. [7] is the use of fluorescent doping, i.e., the addition of a small percentage of an emissive fluorescent material into a host matrix. This can be used to alter the color of emission, in addition to improving the efficiency and the lifetime of devices. The technique of simultaneously vapor depositing the host and the fluorescent dopant material is now widely used in the field of OLEDs. 

The aim of this chapter is to give the reader a broad overview of the field of vapor-deposited small-molecule OLEDs. It is beyond the scope of this chapter to cover every aspect of these devices, however key references are given throughout the text for those readers who are interested in delving more deeply into this topic. Section 7.2 describes the key elements of a typical OLED. Alternative device architectures are also briefly described. Section 7.3 describes the typical fabrication methods and materials used in the construction of vapor-deposited OLEDs. Section 7.4 describes the physics of an OLED in addition to the improvement of the performance over time made through advances in device architectures and materials. Section 7.5 discusses OLED displays and Section 7.6 looks at the future exciting possibilities for the field of vapor-deposited organic devices. 

A wide range of small-molecule organic materials have been used in vapor-deposited OLEDs. Some of the requisite properties of the materials used in vapor deposition are listed below ... 

Figure 7.6 shows typcial current density-voltage-luminance (J-V-L) and emission characteristics of an OLED device. OLEDs have a similar electrical characteristic to that of a rectifying diode. In forward bias, the device starts with a small current at low voltages. In this region, charge carriers are injected into the device but little exciton formation, hence light... 

The criteria for good electron transport materials are that they should transport electrons, block holes, and have a small barrier to electron injection from the metal cathode. The most commonly used ETL in vacuum-deposited OLEDs is tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3), as shown in Figure 7.7. Alq3 for example, has a LUMO energy level of 3 eV [65] and an electron mobility of 5x 10 5 cm2/(V s) [66]. 

ZD Popovic and H Aziz, Reliability and degradation of small molecule-based organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs), IEEE J. Sel. Top. Quant. Electron., 8 362-371, 2002. 

The candela is the amount of visible light coming in your direction from the OLED. The OLED pixels are small and flat, and have a fixed area. When you look at it, there is a certain amount of light coming out of the OLED in your direction. When this amount of light, in cd, is divided by the area of the OLED, you get the luminance of the OLED in cd/m2. 

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