Large area organic electronic devices having conducting polymer buffer layers and methods of making same

• US 6,593,690 B1
• Filed: 09/03/1999
• Issued: 07/15/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Hsu, Yong, McCormick, Fred Boyle, Vernstrom, George David, Birkholz, Russell Dean
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Ashok
• Application Number:
  US09/389,926
• Time in Patent Office: 1,411 Days
• Field of Search: 313/502, 313/503, 313/504, 313/506, 313/512, 428/917, 257/102, 375/169.3
• US Class Current: 313/506
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/17 Carrier injection layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/13 using printing techniques, e.g. ink-jet printing or screen printing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/917 Electroluminescent

Abstract

Large area organic electronic devices having a doped conducting polymer buffer layer are described. Methods for applying a doped conducting polymer buffer layer to an electrode-coated large area substrate are described. The methods include web coating techniques such as microgravure coating or meniscus coating, which may be used in continuous coating processes.

Claims

1. A large area organic electronic device comprising:

a substrate having at least one continuous portion that has one or both of (1) a lengthwise dimension of 1 meter or more, and (2) a diagonal dimension of 1 meter or more; and

an electrode layer on top of or underneath a buffer layer comprised of a doped conducting polymer.

2. The organic electronic device of claim 1 wherein the device is an organic light emitting diode.

3. The organic electronic device of claim 1 wherein the substrate is a flexible material.

4. The organic electronic device of claim 1 wherein the flexible substrate material is selected from the group consisting of polyesters, polycarbonates, poly(methyl methacrylate)s, poly(styrene)s, polyolefins, polyimides, fluoropolymers, polysulfones, derivatives thereof, and mixtures thereof.

5. The organic electronic device of claim 1 wherein the buffer layer is from 500 to 2000 Å

thick.

6. The organic electronic device of claim 1 wherein the buffer layer comprises a polymer selected from the group consisting of polyaniline, polypyrrole, and polythiophene.

7. The organic electronic device of claim 1 wherein the buffer layer comprises self-doped polyaniline.