Organic light emitting devices having carrier transporting layers comprising metal complexes

• US 7,288,331 B2
• Filed: 04/20/2006
• Issued: 10/30/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2001
• 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., Thompson, Mark E., Djurovich, Peter, Ren, Xiaofan, Hong, Haiping, Adachi, Chihaya
• Primary Examiner(s): GARRETT, DAWN L
• Application Number:
  US11/408,542
• Publication Number:
  US 20060257685A1
• Time in Patent Office: 558 Days
• Field of Search: 428/690, 428/917, 313/504, 313/506
• US Class Current: 428/690
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/06 containing organic luminescent materials
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2211/1029 containing one nitrogen atom as the heteroatom
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2211/1044 containing two nitrogen atoms as heteroatoms
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2211/185 of the platinum group, i.e. Os, Ir, Pt, Ru, Rh or Pd
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2211/187 of the iron group metals, i.e. Fe, Co or Ni
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 2211/188 of other metals not provided for in one of the previous groups
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/14 characterised by the chemical or physical composition or the arrangement of the electroluminescent material , or by the simultaneous addition of the electroluminescent material in or onto the light source
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2101/10 Triplet emission
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2101/30 Highest occupied molecular orbital [HOMO], lowest unoccupied molecular orbital [LUMO] or Fermi energy values
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/11 characterised by the electroluminescent [EL] layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/14 Carrier transporting layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/18 Carrier blocking layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/181 Electron blocking layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/30 Doping active layers, e.g. electron transporting layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/111 comprising aromatic, heteroaromatic, or aryl chains, e.g. polyaniline, polyphenylene or polyphenylene vinylene
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/1135 Polyethylene dioxythiophene [PEDOT]; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/30 Coordination compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/321 Metal complexes comprising a group IIIA element, e.g. Tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) gallium [Gaq3]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/322 comprising boron
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/324 comprising aluminium, e.g. Alq3
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/331 : Metal complexes comprising an iron-series metal, e.g. Fe, Co, Ni
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/342 : comprising iridium
• 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: H10K 85/6565 : Oxadiazole compounds
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/917 : Electroluminescent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 : including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree

Abstract

Light emitting devices having charge transporting layers comprising one or more metal complexes are provided. More particularly, devices include hole transporting layers comprising at least one organometallic complex are disclosed. The present devices can further comprise an electron blocking layer for improved efficiency.

Claims

1. A light emitting device comprising a hole transporting layer, wherein said hole transporting layer comprises at least one organometallic complex, having at least one coordinating carbon, the organometallic complex comprising at least one multi-dentate ligand.

2. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said hole transporting layer consists essentially of said organometallic complex.

3. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said hole transporting layer comprises an organic matrix doped with said organometallic complex.

4. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said organometallic complex is coordinatively saturated.

5. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said organometallic complex has a coordination number of six.

6. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said organometallic complex has a coordination number of four.

7. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said metal of said organometallic complex is a transition metal.

8. The light emitting device of claim 7, wherein said transition metal is a first row transition metal.

9. The light emitting device of claim 7, wherein said transition metal is a second or third row transition metal.

10. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the metal of said organometallic complex is Fe, Co, Ru, Pd, Os or Ir.

11. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the metal of said organometallic complex is Fe or Co.

12. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the metal of said organometallic complex is Fe.

13. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the metal of said organometallic complex is Co.

14. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein said organometallic complex has one of the formulas I or II:

15. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the ligand is bidentate.

16. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the ligand is tridentate.

17. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the ligand is tetradentate.

18. The light emitting device of claim 1, wherein the ligand is hexadentate.

19. The light emitting device of claim 14, wherein M′

is Co.

20. The light emitting device of claim 15, wherein M′

is Co.