Electroluminescent arrangements

• US 6,376,105 B1
• Filed: 12/21/1998
• Issued: 04/23/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Heraeus Clevios GmbH (Heraeus Holding GMBH)
• Original Assignee: Bayer AG
• Inventors: Elschner, Andreas, Wehrmann, Rolf, Jonas, Friedrich, Quintens, Dirk
• Primary Examiner(s): YAMNITZKY, MARIE ROSE
• Application Number:
  US09/147,425
• Time in Patent Office: 1,219 Days
• Field of Search: 428/690, 428/704, 428/917, 313/504, 313/506, 257/40, 257/103
• US Class Current: 428/690
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/00 Organic devices sensitive to infrared radiation, light, electromagnetic radiation of shorter wavelength or corpuscular radiation integrated devices or assemblies of multiple devices H10K39/00, H10K65/00; electrolytic light-sensitive devices H01G9/20
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/11 characterised by the electroluminescent [EL] layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/1135 Polyethylene dioxythiophene [PEDOT]; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/917 Electroluminescent

Abstract

Electroluminescing arrangement containing hole-injecting and/or electron-injecting layers, the polymeric organic conductors being chosen from the group consisting of polyfurans, polypyrroles, polyanilines, polythiophenes and polypyridines.

Claims

1. Electroluminescing arrangement comprising a hole-injecting layer comprising thiophene of the formula (I)

wherein

R¹ and R² denote, independently of one another, hydrogen, optionally substituted C₁-C₂₀-alkyl, CH₂OH or C₆-C₁₄-aryl, or

R¹ and R² together denote —

(CH₂)_m—

CH₂—

with m=0 to 12 or C₆-C₁₄-arylene, and

n is an integer from 5 to 100,

wherein the thiophene of the formula (I) is in cationic form in the presence of a polymeric sulfonic acid or a polymeric carboxylic acid as a polyanion;

an emitter layer; and

a pair of electrodes, wherein at least one of said electrodes is transparent and consists of a material selected from the group consisting of metal oxides and semi-transparent metal films and wherein said hole-injecting layer is directly located on a transparent electrode.

2. Electroluminescing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the polyanion is selected from the group consisting of polyacrylic acids, polymethacrylic acids, polymaleic acids, polystyrene sulfonic acids and polyvinyl sulfonic acids or their salts, whereby the polymeric carboxylic and sulfonic acids may also be copolymers of vinyl carboxylic and vinyl sulfonic acids with other polymerizable monomers.

3. Electroluminescing arrangement according to claim 1, whereby the polyanion is polystyrene sulfonic acid or the alkali salt thereof.

4. Electroluminescing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the transparent electrode is an indium-tin oxide electrode.

5. Electroluminescing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the hole-injecting layer has a thickness of 3 to 100 nm.

6. Electroluminescing arrangement according to claim 1, wherein the hole-injecting layer has a thickness of 10 to 50 nm.

7. A process for producing an electroluminescing arrangement according to claim 1 comprising applying a hole-injecting layer to a transparent electrode.

8. A method of electroluminescing, comprising:

providing an electroluminescing arrangement according to claim 1, and

applying a voltage to the arrangement sufficient to cause electroluminescence.