Color-tunable organic light emitting devices

• US 6,312,836 B1
• Filed: 12/09/1998
• Issued: 11/06/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: The Trustees of Princeton University (Princeton University), University of Southern California
• Original Assignee: The Trustees of Princeton University (Princeton University), University of Southern California
• Inventors: Forrest, Stephen R., Bulovic, Vladimir, Thompson, Mark E.
• Primary Examiner(s): YAMNITZKY, MARIE ROSE
• Application Number:
  US09/207,799
• Time in Patent Office: 1,063 Days
• Field of Search: 428/690, 428/917, 428/704, 427/66, 313/502, 313/506, 313/504, 257/94
• US Class Current: 428/690
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/06 containing organic luminescent materials
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/11 characterised by the electroluminescent [EL] layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/125 specially adapted for multicolour light emission, e.g. for emitting white light
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/324 comprising aluminium, e.g. Alq3
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/631 Amine compounds having at least two aryl rest on at least one amine-nitrogen atom, e.g. triphenylamine
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/649 Aromatic compounds comprising a hetero atom
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/917 Electroluminescent

Abstract

A new method for tuning the emission spectrum of OLEDs while retaining a high luminescence efficiency wherein the emission spectrum of a polar luminescent molecule is wavelength shifted by as much as 70 nm when doped into a conductive host in a vacuum-deposited molecular organic light emitting device. The effect may be attributed to changes in the average dipole moment of the host thin film that are induced by the addition of highly dipolar dopant molecules. This phenomenon may be referred to as a “solid state solvation effect” in analogy to similar effects previously identified in solution chemistry. In experiments using singly doped devices, different concentrations of a polar laser dye known as DCM2 are doped in non-polar triaryl amine conductive host films. In these experiments, DCM2 performs the dual role of functioning both as the luminescent center and as the source of the increased spatially averaged dipole moment. In a second set of experiments using dual-doped devices, DCM2 is employed only as the luminescent center in a non-polar host, while a second polar dopant, aluminum tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) (Alq₃), is introduced to generate the local dipole moment. By changing the concentration of Alq₃, while keeping the DCM2 concentration fixed, the OLED emission may be tuned over a range of 30 nm. For the singly doped devices, the external luminescence quantum efficiency, η, decreases with dopant concentration due to aggregation induced quenching. However, for the dual-doped devices, η increases with an increase in the bathochromic shift.

Claims

1. An organic light emitting device comprising a heterostructure for producing luminescence wherein said heterostructure includes an emissive layer comprising:

a host material;

an emissive material present as a dopant in said host material; and

a polarization material present as a dopant in said host material, wherein said polarization material contributes to the local dipole moment of said emissive layer and thereby affects the wavelength of light emitted by said emissive material and wherein said polarization material is not the same material as said emissive material;

wherein said host material, said emissive material and polarization material are selected in combination so as to produce an emission peak in a prescribed spectral region when a voltage is applied across the heterostructure.

2. The organic light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said emissive layer is a hole transporting layer.

3. The organic light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said emissive layer is an electron transporting layer.

4. The organic light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said host material is comprised of N,N′

-diphenyl-N,N′

-bis(3-methylphenyl)-1,1′

-biphenyl-4,4′

-diamine (TPD) having the chemical structure;

5. The organic light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said polarization material provides cascade energy transfer from said host material to said emissive material when said voltage is applied across said heterostructure.

6. The organic light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said polarization material is comprised of tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline)-aluminum (ALq₃).

7. The organic light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said emissive material is comprised of DCM2, wherein DCM2 has the chemical structure:

8. The organic light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said host material is comprised of N,N′

-diphenyl-N,N′

-bis(3-methylphenyl)-1,1′

-biphenyl-4,4′

-diamine (TPD) having the chemical structure;

wherein said polarization material is comprised of tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline)-aluminum (Alq₃); and

said emissive material is comprised of DCM2, wherein DCM2 has the chemical structure;

9. The organic light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said host material is comprised of a vacuum deposited material.

10. The organic light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said host material is comprised of a polymeric material.

11. The organic light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said emissive material is comprised of a polymeric material.

12. A display incorporating the organic light emitting device of claim 1.

13. A vehicle incorporating the organic light emitting device of claim 1.

14. A computer incorporating the organic light emitting device of claim 1.

15. A television incorporating the organic light emitting device of claim 1.

16. A printer incorporating the organic light emitting device of claim 1.

17. A device selected from the group consisting of a large area wall, a theater and a stadium screen, incorporating the organic light emitting device of claim 1.

18. A billboard incorporating the organic light emitting device of claim 1.

19. A sign incorporating the organic light emitting device of claim 1.

20. A method of fabricating an organic light emitting device comprising:

fabricating a heterostructure for producing luminescence wherein said heterostructure includes an emissive layer comprising a host material and an emissive material present as a dopant in said host material and a polarization material present as a dopant in said host material, wherein said polarization material contributes to the local dipole moment of said emissive layer and thereby affects the wavelength of light emitted by said emissive material and wherein said polarization material is not the same material as said emissive material;

wherein the fabrication process includes the step of selecting said host material, said emissive material and said polarization material in combination such that the heterostructure produces an emission peak in a prescribed spectral region when a voltage is applied across the heterostructure.

21. A method for tuning the color ofthe electroluminescence of an organic light emitting device comprising:

fabricating a heterostructure for producing luminescence wherein said heterostructure includes a chromophore and a polarization material that is different than said chromophore in an emissive layer and wherein the fabrication process includes the step of adjusting the average dipole moment experienced by said chromophore so as to produce an emission peak in a prescribed spectral region when a voltage is applied across the heterostructure.