Diffusion study of multi-organic layers in OLEDs by ToF-SIMS

A model organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with structure of tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq₃)/N,N′-diphenyl-N,N′-bis[1-naphthy-(1,1′-diphenyl)]-4,4′-diamine (NPB)/indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated glass was fabricated for diffusion study by ToF-SIMS. The results demonstrate that ToF-SIMS is capable of delineating the structure of multi-organic layers in OLEDs and providing specific molecular information to aid deciphering the diffusion phenomena. Upon heat treatment, the solidity or hardness of the device was reduced. Complicated chemical reaction might occur at the NPB/ITO interface and results in the formation of a buffer layer, which terminates the upper diffusion of ions from underlying ITO.     

Color-tunable organic light-emitting devices using a thin N,N′-bis-(1-naphthyl)-N,N′-diphenyl-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-diamine layer at heterojunction interface

Novel types of multilayer color-tunable organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) with the structure of indium tin oxide (ITO)/N,N′-bis-(1-naphthyl)-N,N′-diphenyl-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-diamine (NPB)/aluminum (III)bis(2-methyl-8-quinolinato)4-phenylphenolato (BAlq)/tris-(8-hydroxyquinolate)-aluminum (Alq₃)/Mg:Ag were fabricated. By inserting a thin layer with different thickness of a second NPB layer at the heterojunction interface of BAlq/Alq₃, the emission zone of devices shifted greatly and optoelectronic characteristics underwent large variation. Although BAlq was reported as a very good hole-blocking and blue-light-emission material, results of measurements in this paper suggested that a certain thickness of NPB layer between BAlq and Alq₃ plays an important role to modify device characteristics, which can act as recombination-controlling layer in the multilayer devices. It also provides a simple way to fabricate color-tunable OLEDs by just changing the thickness of this “recombination-controlling” layer rather than doping by co-evaporation.     

Red organic light-emitting diodes with high efficiency,low driving voltage and saturated red color realized via two step energy transfer based on ADN and Alq3 co-host system

We demonstrated efficient red organic light-emitting diodes based on a wide band gap material 9,10-bis(2-naphthyl)anthracene (ADN) doped with 4-(dicyano-methylene)-2-t-butyle-6-(1,1,7,7-tetramethyl-julolidyl-9-enyl)-4H-pyran (DCJTB) as a red dopant and 2,3,6,7-tetrahydro-1,1,7,7,-tetramethyl-1H,5H,11H-10(2-benzothiazolyl)quinolizine-[9,9a,1gh]coumarin (C545T) as an assistant dopant. The typical device structure was glass substrate/ITO/4,4′,4″-tris(N-3-methylphenyl-N-phenyl-amino)triphenylamine (m-MTDATA)/N,N′-bis(naphthalene-1-yl)-N,N′-diphenyl-benzidine (NPB)/[ADN:Alq₃]:DCJTB:C545T/Alq₃/LiF/Al. It was found that C545T dopant did not by itself emit but did assist the energy transfer from the host (ADN) to the red emitting dopant via cascade energy transfer mechanism. The OLEDs realized by this approach significantly improved the EL efficiency. We achieved a significant improvement regarding saturated red color when a polar co-host emitter (Alq₃) was incorporated in the matrix of [ADN:Alq₃]. Since ADN possesses a considerable high electron mobility of 3.1 × 10⁻⁴ cm²  V⁻¹ s⁻¹, co-host devices with high concentration of ADN (>70%) exhibited low driving voltage and high current efficiency as compared to the devices without ADN. We obtained a device with a current efficiency of 3.6 cd/A, Commission International d’Eclairage coordinates of [0.618, 0.373] and peak λ_max = 620 nm at a current density of 20 mA/cm². This is a promising way of utilizing wide band gap material as the host to make red OLEDs, which will be useful in improving the electroluminescent performance of devices and simplifying the process of fabricating full color OLEDs.     

High-efficiency organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with a mixed layer structure

Improved performance of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) as obtained by a mixed layer was investigated. The OLEDs with a mixed layer which were composed of N,N′-diphenyl-N,N′-bis(1-napthyl-phenyl)-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-diamine (NPB), tris-(8-hydroxyquinolato) aluminum (Alq₃) and 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-t-butyl-6-(1,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl)-4H-pyran (DCJTB) showed the highest brightness and efficiency, which reached 19048 cd/m² at 17 V and 4.3 cd/A at 10 mA/cm², respectively. The turn-on voltage of the device is 2.6 V. Its Commission Internationale del’Eclairage (CIE) coordinate is (0.497, 0.456) at 17 V, and the CIE coordinates of the device are largely insensitive to the driving voltages, which depicts stabilized yellow color.     

Enhancement of the efficiency and the color stabilization of organic light-emitting devices fabricated utilizing stepwise doped hole transport layers

The electrical and the optical properties of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) consisting of aluminum (Al)/lithium quinolate/tris (8-hydroxyquimoline) Al/5,6,11,12-tetraphenylnaphthacene (rubrene)-doped N,N′-bis-(1-naphthyl)-N,N′-diphenyl-1,1-biphenyl-4,4′-diamine (NPB)/indium-tin-oxide/glass structures fabricated with uniformly doped and stepwise-doped hole transport layers (HTLs) were investigated. The turn-on voltage of the OLEDs fabricated utilizing a stepwise-doped HTL was smaller than that of the OLEDs fabricated with a uniformly doped HTL, and the corresponding luminance at the same voltage was higher. The Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage (CIE) chromaticity coordinates of the OLEDs fabricated utilizing a stepwise-doped HTL became stabilized, and the CIE chromaticity coordinates of the OLEDs at 12 V was (0.43, 0.53), indicative of a yellow emission corresponding to the rubrene layer. The luminescence mechanisms of the OLEDs fabricated utilizing a stepwise-doped HTL are described on the basis of the experimental results.     

Influence of the deposition temperature on the structure and performance of tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum based flexible organic light-emitting devices

Based on indium tin oxide (ITO)/N,N′diphenyl-N-N′-di(m-tdyl) benzidine (TPD)/Alq₃/Al structure, flexible OLEDs on polyethylene terephthalate (PET) substrates were fabricated by physical vapor deposition (PVD) method. Tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum (Alq₃) films were deposited at 90, 120 and 150 °C to examine the influence of the deposition temperature on the structure and performance of OLEDs. Electroluminescence (EL) spectra and current-voltage-luminance (I-V-L) characteristics of the OLEDs were examined. It was found that the device fabricated at a high temperature had a higher external efficiency and longer lifetime. Atomic force microscope (AFM) was adopted to characterize the surface morphology of ITO/TPD/Alq₃. The higher uniform morphology of the Alq₃ formed at high temperature might contribute to the performance improvement of the OLEDs.     

NaCl/Ca/Al as an efficient cathode in organic light-emitting devices

An efficient cathode NaCl/Ca/Al used to improve the performance of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) was reported. Standard N,N′-bis(1-naphthyl)-N,N′-diphenyl-1,1′ biphenyl 4,4′-dimaine (NPB)/tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq₃) devices with NaCl/Ca/Al cathode showed dramatically enhanced electroluminescent (EL) efficiency. A power efficiency of 4.6 lm/W was obtained for OLEDs with 2 nm of NaCl and 10 nm of Ca, which is much higher than 2.0 lm/W, 3.1 lm/W, 2.1 lm/W and 3.6 lm/W in devices using, respectively, the LiF (1 nm)/Al, LiF (1 nm)/Ca (10 nm)/Al, Ca (10 nm)/Al and NaCl (2 nm)/Al cathodes. The investigation of the electron injection in electron-only devices indicates that the utilization of the NaCl/Ca/Al cathode substantially enhances the electron injection current, which in case of OLEDs leads to the improvement of the brightness and efficiency.     

Stress, absorptance and laser-induced damage threshold properties of 355-nm HR coatings

A number of 355-nm Al₂O₃/MgF₂ high-reflectance (HR) coatings were prepared by electron-beam evaporation. The influences of the number of coating layers and deposition temperature on the 355-nm Al₂O₃/MgF₂ HR coatings were investigated. The stress was measured by viewing the substrate deformation before and after coating deposition using an optical interferometer. The laser-induced damage threshold (LIDT) of the samples was measured by a 355-nm Nd:YAG laser with a pulse width of 8 ns. Transmittance and reflectance of the samples were measured by a Lambda 900 spectrometer. It was found that absorptance was the main reason to result in a low LIDT of 355-nm Al₂O₃/MgF₂ HR coatings. The stress in Al₂O₃/MgF₂ HR coatings played an unimportant role in the LIDT, although MgF₂ is known to have high tensile stress.     

Modification of anode surface in organic light-emitting diodes by chalcogenes

Influence of thin chalcogen X (S, Se, Te) interlayer between anode (indium-tin oxide, ITO) and a layer of N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-N,N′-diphenylbenzidine (TPD) used as a hole-transport layer (HTL) on the operating characteristics of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) of composition ITO/X/TPD/Alq₃/Yb (Alq₃ - aluminum 8-quinolinolate) has been investigated. It was found that the sulphur layer decreases operating voltage and enhances operating stability of a device while the selenium or tellurium interlayers impair these characteristics.     

All-in-one-type organic light-emitting diodes for color tuning using phosphor in glasses with Pb-free silicate powders

We demonstrate all-in-one-type organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) that are fabricated using a color converting plate as a substrate. The color converting plate is Pb-free phosphor-in-glass (PiG), which is prepared by mixing Y₃Al₅O₁₂:Ce³⁺ (YAG:Ce³⁺) and SiO₂–B₂O₃–RO (R = Ba, Zn) glass frit by sintering at 750 °C for 30 min. The maximum luminance, luminance efficiency, and power efficiency of blue OLEDs fabricated on commercial glass are measured as 10500 cd/m², 10.18 cd/A, and 2.95 lm/W, respectively. The Commission Internationale de l'Eclairge (CIE) coordinates of blue OLEDs is (0.167, 0.325). Our obtained results show that the luminance value decreased as the PiG thickness increased, and the glass to phosphor (GTP) ratio decreased. The OLED devices fabricated on the PiG substrate (GTP ratio = 9:1, thickness: 150 μm) showed a maximum luminance, luminance efficiency, and power efficiency of 7600 cd/m², 8.76 cd/A, and 2.85 lm/W, respectively. The CIE color coordinates changed to (0.286, 0.504) at 200 mA/cm². These results proved that color coordination can be easily adjusted by varying the GTP ratio and the thickness of the PiG.     

Deposition of MgF2 thin films for antireflection coating by using thermionic vacuum arc (TVA)

In this study, optical and surface properties of MgF₂ thin films produced by thermionic vacuum arc (TVA) technique have been investigated. By means of this technique the MgF₂ thin film produced by condensing the plasma of anode material generated by using TVA under high vacuum conditions on the glass. The optical properties have been investigated by using Filmetrics F20 and UV/VIS spectrometer. For surface properties of produced thin films EDS, SEM and AFM have been used. Our analysis shows that MgF₂ thin films produced by using TVA are proper single and multi layer anti-reflective (AR) coating and TVA technique brings very important advantages for ophthalmic glass coating and industrial applications' optical purposes.     

Laser-induced backside wet etching of fluoride and sapphire using picosecond laser pulses

Laser-induced backside wet etching (LIBWE) is a promising process for microstructuring of rigid chemical resistant and inert transparent materials. LIBWE with nanosecond laser pulses has been successfully demonstrated in a number of studies. LIBWE in a time scale of femtosecond and picosecond pulse durations has been investigated only in a few studies and just on fused silica. In the present study LIBWE of fluorides (CaF₂, MgF₂) and sapphire with a mode-locked picosecond (t _p=10 ps) laser at a UV wavelength of λ=355 nm using toluene as absorbing liquid has been demonstrated. The influence of the laser fluence and the pulse number on the etching rate and the achieved surface morphology was investigated. The etching rate grows linearly with the laser fluence in the low and high-fluence ranges with different slopes. The achieved etching rates for CaF₂ and for sapphire were in the same range. Contrary to CaF₂ and sapphire the etching rates of MgF₂ were one magnitude less. For backside etching on sapphire at high fluences smooth surfaces and at low fluences ripples pattern were found, whereas fluoride surfaces showed a trend towards crack formation.     

Exciplex or electroplex emissions from the interface between aromatic diamine and 2,9-dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline?

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) have been fabricated which consist of N,N′-diphenyl-N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-diamine) (TPD), 2,9-dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (BCP), and tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq₃). Four emission peaks located at about 401 nm, 425 nm, 452 nm and 480 nm have been obtained in the electroluminescence (EL) spectra of these devices. The former two emissions originate from the exciton emission of TPD molecular. The last two emissions could be attributed to local (LOC) exiplex emission and charge transfer (CT) exiplex emission at the interface between TPD and BCP layers, respectively.     

Studies on influence of zinc immersion and fluoride on nickel electroplating on magnesium alloy AZ91D

The effect of zinc immersion and the role of fluoride in nickel plating bath were mainly investigated in nickel electroplating on magnesium alloy AZ91D. The state of zinc immersion, the composition of zinc film and the role of fluoride in nickel plating bath were explored from the curves of open circuit potential (OCP) and potentiodynamic polarization, the images of scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and the patterns of energy dispersive X-ray (EDX). Results show that the optimum zinc film mixing small amount of Mg(OH)₂ and MgF₂ is obtained by zinc immersion for 30-90 s. The corrosion potential of magnesium alloy substrate attached zinc film will be increased in nickel plating bath and the quantity of MgF₂ sandwiched between magnesium alloy substrate and nickel coating will be reduced, which contributed to produce nickel coating with good performance. Fluoride in nickel plating bath serves as an activator of nickel anodic dissolution and corrosion inhibitor of magnesium alloy substrate. 1.0-1.5 mol dm⁻³ of F⁻ is the optimum concentration range for dissolving nickel anode and protecting magnesium alloy substrate from over-corrosion in nickel plating bath. The nickel coating with good adhesion and high corrosion resistance on magnesium alloy AZ91D is obtained by the developed process of nickel electroplating. This nickel layer can be used as the rendering coating for further plating on magnesium alloys.     

Low-voltage-drive and high output current ZnO thin-film transistors with sputtering SiO2 as gate insulator

Low-voltage-drive ZnO thin-film transistors (TFTs) with room-temperature radio frequency magnetron sputtering SiO₂ as the gate insulator were fabricated successfully on the glass substrate. The ZnO-TFT operates in the enhancement mode with a threshold voltage of 4.2 V, a field effect mobility of 11.2 cm²/V s, an on/off ratio of 3.1 × 10⁶ and a subthreshold swing of 0.61 V/dec. The drain current can reach to 1 mA while the gate voltage is only of 12 V and drain voltage of 8 V. The C–V characteristics of a MOS capacitor with the structure of ITO/SiO₂/ZnO/Al was investigated. The carrier concentration N_D in the ZnO active layer was determined, the calculated N_D is 1.81 × 10¹⁶ cm⁻³, which is the typical value of undoped ZnO film used as the channel layer for ZnO-TFT devices. The experiment results show that SiO₂ film is a promising insulator for the low voltage and high drive capability oxide TFTs.     

Tribological characterization of chromium nitride coating deposited by filtered cathodic vacuum arc

CrN coatings were prepared by filtered cathodic vacuum arc (FCVA) technique. The influence of the deposition parameters (nitrogen partial pressure PN₂, substrate bias voltage V_s and preheating of the substrate) on the structural, mechanical and tribological properties of the FCVA CrN coatings was investigated. Further, the FCVA CrN coating was compared in dry reciprocating sliding with commercial multi-arc ion plating (MAIP) CrN coating as to friction and wear properties. Profilometer, scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and energy dispersive spectroscopy (EDX) were used to evaluate the wear scars and the wear mechanisms were discussed. The results showed that the structural, mechanical and tribological properties of the FCVA CrN coatings were significantly dependent on the deposition parameters. The FCVA CrN coating deposited with PN₂ of 0.1 Pa, V_s of −100 V and without preheating exhibited the optimal mechanical and tribological properties. The FCVA CrN coating exhibited much better anti-abrasive and anti-spalling properties than the MAIP CrN coating, which was resulted from significant reduction of macroparticles and pitting defects by the FCVA technique. The MAIP CrN coating suffered severe concentrated wear by a combination wear mechanisms of delamination, abrasive and oxidative wear when high normal load was applied, while for the FCVA CrN coating the wear mechanisms were ultra-mild abrasive and oxidative wear.     

Improved performance of organic light-emitting devices with plasma treated ITO surface and plasma polymerized methyl methacrylate buffer layer

Transparent indium-tin-oxide (ITO) anode surface was modified using O₃ plasma and organic ultra-thin buffer layers were deposited on the ITO surface using 13.56 MHz rf plasma polymerization technique. A plasma polymerized methyl methacrylate (ppMMA) ultra-thin buffer layer was deposited between the ITO anode and hole transporting layer (HTL). The plasma polymerization of the buffer layer was carried out at a homemade capacitively coupled plasma (CCP) equipment. N,N′-Diphenyl-N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-1,1′-diphenyl-4,4′-diamine (TPD) as HTL, Tris(8-hydroxy-quinolinato)aluminum (Alq₃) as both emitting layer (EML)/electron transporting layer (ETL), and aluminum layer as cathode were deposited using thermal evaporation technique. Electroluminescence (EL) efficiency, operating voltage and stability of the organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) were investigated in order to study the effect of the plasma surface treatment of the ITO anode and role of plasma polymerized methyl methacrylate as an organic ultra-thin buffer layer.     

Blue organic light-emitting diodes with 2-methyl-9,10-bis(naphthalen-2-yl)anthracene as hole transport and emitting layer and the impedance spectroscopy analysis

2-methyl-9,10-bis(naphthalen-2-yl)anthracene (MADN) based fluorescent blue organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are demonstrated. With MADN as emitting layer, experiments indicate that thick MADN (40–60 nm) is preferable for constructing efficient blue OLED. With MADN as hole-transport and emitting layer and tris(8-hydroxy-quinolinato)aluminium (Alq₃) as electron-transport layer, the OLED electroluminescent characteristics show a mixture emission of MADN and Alq₃ with Commission Internationale d'Eclairage (CIE) color coordinates of (0.25, 0.34), indicating feasible hole transporting in MADN. Using 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (BPhen) replacing Alq₃ as electron-transport layer, the OLED shows deep blue emission with a maximum luminous efficiency of 4.8 cd/A and CIE color coordinates of (0.16, 0.09). The hole transport characteristics of MADN are further clarified by constructing hole-only device and performing impedance spectroscopy analysis. The results indicate that MADN shows superior hole-transport ability which is almost comparable to typical hole-transport material of N,N′-bis(naphthalen-1-yl)-N,N′-bis(phenyl)-benzidine (NPB), suggesting a promising application for constructing efficient blue OLED with integrated hole-transport layer and emitting layer.     

Improvement of solar cell efficiency by applying Si3N4 nanopattern on glass substrate

A cylindrical Si₃N₄ nanopattern whose heights was 200 nm was fabricated on a glass substrate, and an aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) layer was grown on the nanopatterned glass substrate. The nanopattern was applied to an amorphous silicon solar cell in order to increase the light-scattering effect, thus enhancing the efficiency of the solar cell. The reflectance of the solar cell on the Si₃N₄ nanopattern decreased and its absorption increased. Compared to a flat substrate, the short-circuit current density (J_sc) and conversion efficiency of a solar cell on the Si₃N₄ nanopatterned substrate were improved by 17.9% and 24.2%, respectively, as determined from solar simulator measurements.     

Pure blue emission from undoped organic light emitting diode based on anthracene derivative

This paper presents organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) which were fabricated by using undoped 9,10-di(2-naphthyl)anthracene (ADN) as the emitting layer, N,N′-diphenyl-N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′-amine (TPD) as the hole transporting layer, and one of tris-(8-hydroxy-quinolinato) aluminum (Alq₃), 4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (Bphen) and 2-tert-butylphenyl-5-biphenyl-1,3,4-oxadiazole (PBD) as the electron transporting layer. By optimization for the thickness of device, efficient pure blue organic light emitting diodes were obtained, which is attributed to the synergy of both the hole transporting layer and the electron transporting layer.