A novel proposal for enhancement of light extraction efficiency in WOLEDs based on optimized photonic crystal structures

In this paper we propose a framework to enhance light extraction efficiency in white organic light emitting diodes (WOLED) using photonic crystal (PhC) structures sandwiched between indium tin oxide (ITO, n_ITO = 1.8+0.01i) and glass (n_glass = 1.51) substrate, according to the high refractive index contrast of these two layers almost 50% of the generated light inside WOLED gets trapped in the mentioned interface. The main purpose of this article is to suggest a method to intentionally optimize PhC structures to reduce total internal reflections (TIR) happening at ITO/glass interface. Here three different patterns are considered including rectangular, hexagonal and circular lattices. Using Finite Difference Time Domain (FDTD) method and the presented framework for choosing structural parameters the portion of 50% trapped light in ITO was reduced to 20% which is a large enhancement in extraction efficiency of WOLED. Also far-field results before and after adding PhCs are investigated.     

Reduction of guided waves in ITO/glass interface of white organic light emitting diodes (WOLEDs): Layer optimization

In this paper, our main purpose is to reduce Total Internal Reflection (TIR) phenomenon that is happening at Indium Tin Oxide (ITO, n_ito = 1.8 + 0.01i) and Glass (n_glass = 1.51) interface in WOLED to achieve higher output power. In normal WOLED because of higher refractive index contrast between ITO and Glass, guided waves usually limited into ITO layer and approximately 50% of generated light is trapped into ITO layer. Here, we tried to reduce this portion of trapped light by using 12-fold quasi-photonic crystal in mentioned interface. With some gentle changes in 12-folds structure, we could reduce TIR in this interface to less than 9%. Also, far field results before and after adding the structure were studied, which represents success of this idea and will open a new insight to lightning applications.     

非周期微纳结构增强有机发光二极管光耦合输出的研究进展

有机发光二极管（OLED）具有功耗低、重量轻、色域宽、响应时间快及对比度高等优点,在全彩平板显示和固态照明等领域均显现出巨大的应用潜力,受到人们的广泛关注.然而,较低的光输出效率使得器件的外量子效率远低于内量子效率,这严重制约了OLED器件的发展和应用.因此如何提高OLED器件的光耦合输出效率已成为备受关注的研究课题.本文主要介绍了采用非周期微纳结构提高OLED器件光耦合输出效率的最新研究进展,对随机微纳透镜结构、光散射介质层、聚合物多孔散射薄膜、随机凹凸波纹结构及随机褶皱结构等多种对器件亮度分布和光谱稳定性无明显影响的光耦合输出技术进行了总结和讨论.最后,对提高OLED器件光耦合输出研究做了总结和展望.     

Pulsed Nd:YAG laser depositions of ITO and DLC films for OLED applications

Indium-tin oxide (ITO) films deposited on heated and non-heated glass substrates by a pulsed Nd:YAG laser at 355 nm and ∼2.5 J/cm² were used in the fabrication of simple organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), ITO/(PVK + Alq₃ + TPD)/Al. The ITO was deposited on heated glass substrates which possessed resistivity as low as ∼3 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm, optical transmission as high as ∼92% and carrier concentration of about ∼5 × 10²⁰ cm⁻³, were comparable to the commercial ITO. Substrate heating transformed the ITO microstructure from amorphous to polycrystalline, as revealed by the XRD spectrum. While the polycrystalline ITO produced higher OLED brightness, it was still lower than that on the commercial ITO due to surface roughness. A DLC layer of ∼1.5 nm deposited on this ITO at laser fluence of >12.5 J/cm² improved its device brightness by suppressing the surface roughness effect.     

Implementation of anti-reflection coating to enhance light out-coupling in organic light-emitting devices

We report significant enhancement of light out-coupling in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) by means of anti-reflection coating of magnesium fluoride (MgF₂) on the backside of glass substrate. OLEDs were fabricated by employing the green electrophosphorescent material fac tris-(2-phenylpyridine) iridium [Ir(ppy)₃] doped in 4,4′,8-N,N-8-dicarbazole-biphenyl (CBP) and 0.4 wt% tetrafluorotetracyano-quinodimethane (F4-TCNQ)-doped naphthylphenylbiphenyl diamine (α-NPD) as hole transport layer (HTL). Single-layer MgF₂ with the thickness of λ/4 was then vacuum deposited on the backside of glass substrate of OLED. About two-fold enhancement in luminance with anti-reflection coating of MgF₂ has been observed.     

Effect of change in pulsed DC frequency on indium-tin oxide anode on J-V-L performance of built-up organic light emitting diode during facing-target sputtering

Investigations were carried out on the changes in the electrical and optical properties and surface roughness of the indium-tin oxide (ITO) anode as a function of DC pulse frequency during facing-target sputtering. The current density-voltage-luminescence (J-V-L) characteristics of organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) developed on the anodes were measured and analyzed in relation to the properties of ITO. When the pulsed DC frequency was less than 120 kHz, the resistivity of ITO was maintained well below 4.3 × 10⁻⁴ Ω cm and the optical energy band gap was greater than 4.1 eV, but these properties changed abruptly at 150 kHz with the morphological transition from columnar to equi-axed. Meanwhile, the surface roughness decreased continuously with increasing pulsed DC frequency up to 150 kHz. The J-V characteristics of the built-up OLED deteriorated slightly as the pulsed DC frequency increased to 120 kHz and then deteriorated rapidly at 150 kHz. The L-V curves, however, showed an improvement of luminescence as the frequency increased up to 120 kHz. These J-V-L characteristics imply that ITO which is more conductive and with a higher band gap can be obtained at the lower pulsed DC frequencies, which is desirable for higher current flow; however, better luminescence is closely related to smoother surfaces. Therefore, for the optimized J-V-L performance of OLEDs, a moderate pulse DC frequency, below the morphological transition of ITO, is desirable.     

Fabrication of cosputtered Zn–In–Sn–O films and their applications to organic light-emitting diodes

Zn–In–Sn–O (ZITO) films have been grown by rf magnetron cosputtering system from ceramic oxide targets of ZnO and ITO onto glass substrate. X-ray diffraction analysis shows that the microstructure is amorphous below the substrate temperature of 250 ^°C. The films exhibit sheet resistance as low as 16.7 Ω/□ and optical transparency comparable to grater than that of Sn-doped indium oxide (ITO) films. The work function ranged 5.05–5.19 eV, which is a higher work function compared to ITO (4.7 eV). The fabricated ZITO films are used in fabrication of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). The ZITO anode with the zinc content of 12.5 at.% [Zn/(Zn+In+Sn)] fabricated at 250 ^°C-based OLED shows lower turn-on voltage and higher current density compared to that of ITO-based control device.     

Light outcoupling efficiency enhancement in organic light emitting diodes using an organic scattering layer

Crystallized 4,7‐diphyenyl‐1,10‐phenanthroline (BPhen) films deposited by convenient vacuum thermal evaporation technique have been found to be an efficient means to extract the substrate wave guided light in organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). The optimized BPhen film working as organic scattering layer was successfully used with OLEDs for light outcoupling efficiency improvement. Enhancement of 26%, 15% and 6% in efficiency of the blue, green and red OLEDs were obtained, respectively. The achievement was found to be advantageous in terms of simplicity of fabrication method and feasibility for large area OLED applications. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Thin film hexagonal gold grids as transparent conducting electrodes in organic light emitting diodes

Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) coated glass is currently the preferred transparent conducting electrode (TCE) for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). However, ITO has its drawbacks, not least the scarcity of Indium, high processing temperatures, and inflexibility. A number of technologies have been put forward as replacements for ITO. In this paper, an OLED based on a gold grid TCE is demonstrated, the light emission through the grid is examined, and luminance and current measurements are reported. The gold grid has a sheet resistance of 15 Ω□⁻¹ and a light transmission of 63% at 550 nm, comparable to ITO, but with advantages in terms of processing conditions and cost. The gold grid OLED has a lower turn‐on voltage (7.7 V versus 9.8 V) and achieves a luminance of 100 cdm⁻² at a lower voltage (10.9 V versus 12.4 V) than the reference ITO OLED. We discuss the lower turn‐on voltage and the uniformity of the light output through the gold grid TCE and examine the conduction mechanisms in the ITO and gold grid TCE OLEDs.     

The effects of sodium in ITO by pulsed laser deposition on organic light-emitting diodes

The depth profile of ITO on glass was measured by the time-of-flight secondary ion mass spectroscopy (TOFSIMS) which revealed high sodium (Na) ion concentration at the ITO surface as well as at the ITO–glass interface as a result of out diffusion with substrate heating. Effects of Na ions on the performance of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) were studied by etching away a few tens of nanometers off the ITO surface with a dilute aquaregia solution of HNO₃:HCl:H₂O. A single-layer, molecularly doped ITO/(PVK+TPD+Alq₃)/Al OLEDs were fabricated on bare and etched ITO samples. Although the removal of a 10-nm layer of ITO surface increased the voltage range, brightness, and lifetime, it was insufficient to correlate these improvements with solely to the Na ion reduction without considering the surface roughness.     

Ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy investigation of interface formation in an indium-tin oxide/fluorocarbon/organic semiconductor contact

It has been demonstrated that hole-injection in organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) can be enhanced by inserting a UV-illuminated fluorocarbon (CF_x) layer between indium-tin oxide (ITO) and organic hole-transporting layer (HTL). In this work, the process of interface formation and electronic properties of the ITO/CF_x/HTL interface were investigated with ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy. It was found that UV-illuminated fluorocarbon layer decreases the hole-injection barrier from ITO to α-napthylphenylbiphenyl diamine (NPB). Energy level diagrams deduced from the ultraviolet photoelectron spectroscopy (UPS) spectra show that the hole-injection barrier in ITO/UV-treated CF_x/NPB is the smallest (0.46 eV), compared to that in the ITO/untreated CF_x/NPB (0.60 eV) and the standard ITO/NPB interface (0.68 eV). The improved current density-voltage (I-V) characteristics in the UV-treated CF_x-coated ITO contact are consistent with its smallest barrier height.     

Magneto-transport properties of [Co/Bi]n wire structures

The present study examines the artificial control of grain-boundary resistance and its contribution to the magneto-transport properties of [Co(1 nm)/Bi(2.5 nm)]_n (n=10 or 20) line structures on the Si(0 0 1)/SiN_x substrate. Conventional patterning and deposition processes are applied for the fabrication of a device that consists of five-line structures with a line width of 2 μm. A ΔR/R=80% ratio was observed in the five-line structure of [Co(1 nm)/Bi(2.5 nm)]₁₀ multilayers at 10 K. Our measurements indicate that grain-boundary effects can be associated with the large ΔR/R ratio of transverse magnetoresistance.     

Properties of ZnO thin films deposited on (glass,ITO and ZnO:Al) substrates

ZnO thin films were deposited on glass, ITO (In₂O₃; Sn) and on ZnO:Al coated glass by spray pyrolysis. The substrates were heated at 350 °C. Structural characterization by X-ray diffraction (XRD) measurements shows that films crystallize in hexagonal structure with a preferential orientation along (0 0 2) direction. XRD peak-shift analysis revealed that films deposited on glass substrate (−0.173) were compressive, however, films deposited onto ITO (0.691) and on ZnO:Al (0.345) were tensile. Scanning electron microscopies (SEM) show that the morphologies of surface are porous in the form of nanopillars. The transmittance spectra indicated that the films of ZnO/ITO/glass and ZnO/ZnO:Al/glass exhibit a transmittance around 80% in the visible region. An empirical relationship modeled by theoretical numerical models has been presented for estimating refractive indices (n) relative to energy gap. All models indicate that the refractive index deceases with increasing energy band gap (E_g).     

Electroluminescence with micro-watt output from ultra-small sized Si quantum dots/amorphous SiO2 multilayers prepared by laser crystallization method

We report the fabrication of Si quantum dots (QDs)/SiO₂ multilayers by using KrF excimer laser (248 nm) crystallization of amorphous Si/SiO₂ multilayered structures on ITO coated glass substrates. Raman spectra and transmission electron microscopy demonstrate the formation of Si QDs and the size can be controlled as small as 1.8 nm. After laser crystallization, Al electrode is evaporated to obtain light emitting devices and the room temperature electroluminescence (EL) can be detected with applying the DC voltage above 8 V on the top gate electrode. The luminescent intensity increases with increasing the applied voltage and the micro-watt light output is achieved. The EL behaviors for samples with different Si dot sizes are studied and it is found that the corresponding external quantum efficiency is significantly enhanced in sample with ultra-small sized Si QDs.     

Model and simulation on the efficiencies of microcavity OLEDs

This paper presents simple calculation models of the external quantum efficiency and power efficiency for the microcavity OLEDs. The models take into account the energy spatial distribution of the device and provide a rough estimate of the efficiencies for the planar surface emitting devices, by which the integrating sphere and monochrometer were saved. The external quantum efficiency and luminous current efficiency from the structures of glass/DBR/ITO/NPB/Alq: C545T/Alq/LiF/Al and glass/ITO/NPB/Alq: C545T/Alq/LiF/Al were calculated based on these models and the measured data. Comparing with conventional OLED, the external quantum efficiency and luminous current efficiency of the MOLED were improved 3.1% and 8% at low current density (< 10 mA/cm², corresponding to the display brightness range), respectively.     

Nickel doped indium tin oxide anode and effect on dark spot development of organic light-emitting devices

This article demonstrated that introducing nickel (Ni) atoms into an indium tin oxide (ITO) anode could considerably decrease ITO surface roughness and eliminate the formation of dark spots of an organic light-emitting device (OLED). A dramatic drop in surface roughness from 6.52 nm of an conventional ITO to 0.46 nm of an 50 nm Ni(50 W)-doped ITO anode was observed, and this led to an improved lifetime performance of an Alq3 based OLED device attributed to reduced dark spots. Reducing thickness of Ni-doped ITO anode was found to worsen surface roughness. Meanwhile, the existence of Ni atoms showed little effect on deteriorating the light-emitting mechanism of OLED devices.     

Blue organic light-emitting diodes with low driving voltage and maximum enhanced power efficiency based on buffer layer MoO3

Blue organic light-emitting devices based on wide bandgap host material, 2-(t-butyl)-9, 10-di-(2-naphthyl) anthracene (TBADN), blue fluorescent styrylamine dopant, p-bis(p-N,N-diphenyl-amino-styryl)benzene (DSA-Ph) have been realized by using molybdenum oxide (MoO₃) as a buffer layer and 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (BPhen) as the ETL. The typical device structure used was glass substrate/ITO/MoO₃ (5 nm)/NPB (30 nm)/[TBADN: DSA-Ph (3 wt%)](35 nm)/BPhen (12 nm)/LiF (0.8 nm)/Al (100 nm). It was found that the MoO₃∥BPhen-based device shows the lowest driving voltage and highest power efficiency among the referenced devices. At the current density of 20 mA/cm², its driving voltage and power efficiency are 5.4 V and 4.7 Lm/W, respectively, which is independently reduced 46%, and improved 74% compared with those the m-MTDATA∥Alq₃ is based on, respectively. The J-V curves of ‘hole-only’ devices reveal that a small hole injection barrier between MoO₃∥NPB leads to a strong hole injection, resulting low driving voltage and high power efficiency. The results strongly indicate that carrier injection ability and balance shows a key significance in OLED performance.     

A new laser direct etching method of indium tin oxide electrode for application to alternative current plasma display panel

For cost effective fabrication and time of alternative current plasma display panels (AC PDPs), an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer was patterned directly with a Q-switched diode pumped Nd:YVO₄ laser (λ = 1064 nm). As experimental results, 500 mm/s scan speed with 40 kHz repetition rate was suitable for the application to AC PDP ITO electrode. In comparison with the chemically wet-etched ITO patterns by photolithography method, laser-ablated ITO patterns showed the formation of shoulders at the edge of the ITO lines and a ripple-like structure of the etched bottom. By dipping the laser-ablated ITO films in the chemical etching solution for 30 s at 50 °C, the shoulders were effectively removed without affecting the discharging properties of AC PDP.     

有机异质结连接层C60/CuPc电荷产生能力研究

有机异质结连接层因其具有良好的透光性能、制备工艺和有机电致发光器件(Organic light-emitting diodes,OLEDs)完全兼容的优点,被广泛应用于叠层OLEDs中。在叠层OLEDs中,连接层可产生电荷,其工作性能是影响叠层OLEDs性能的关键因素之一。为了获得最佳性能的有机异质结连接层,本文制备了结构为glass/ITO/tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum(Alq_3)(60 nm)/C_(60)(x nm)/CuPc(y nm)/N,N′-bis(naphthalen-1-yl)-N,N′-bis (phenyl)-be-nzidine(NPB)(40 nm)/Al (100 nm)的有机器件,直接获得了有机异质结连接层C_(60)/CuPc产生的器件电流。通过结构优化发现,结构为C_(60)(30 nm)/CuPc(10 nm)的连接层具有最强的电荷产生能力,并对最优结构连接层形成的物理机制作了合理的解释.本文获得的结果可为理解有机异质结连接层工作机理以及制备高性能叠层OLEDs提供理论基础。     

Effect of laser-etched indium tin oxide on optoelectrical properties of organic light-emitting diodes

This study investigated how laser and wet etching methods of ITO substrates affect the optoelectrical properties of OLEDs. Experimental results indicated that the OLED with a laser-etched ITO substrate has a lower driving voltage than that with a wet-etched ITO substrate. According to scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and atomic force microscopy (AFM) measurements, the ITO etching methods yielded different surface morphologies of ITO pattern edges. The lower luminance of the OLED with a laser-etched ITO substrate is attributable to the fringe at the edge of ITO pattern, which causes a high local electric field resulting in the recrystallization of organic materials.