Electroluminescent devices

• US 7,393,704 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2005
• Issued: 07/01/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/13/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Christopher John Bright, David John Lacey, Jeremy Henley Burroughes, Peter Devine, Richard Henry Friend
• Original Assignee: Christopher John Bright, David John Lacey, Jeremy Henley Burroughes, Peter Devine, Richard Henry Friend
• Inventors: Lacey, David John, Bright, Christopher John, Burroughes, Jeremy Henley, Friend, Richard Henry, Devine, Peter
• Primary Examiner(s): TRINH, MICHAEL MANH
• Application Number:
  US11/268,177
• Publication Number:
  US 20060263917A1
• Time in Patent Office: 967 Days
• Field of Search: 438/22, 438/28, 438/29, 438/99
• US Class Current: 438/22
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 2261/3142 fluorene-based, e.g. fluorene, indenofluorene, or spirobifluorene
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 2261/3162 Arylamines
• CPC Class Codes: C08G 2261/3246 containing nitrogen and sulfur as heteroatoms
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2101/40 Interrelation of parameters between multiple constituent active layers or sublayers, e.g. HOMO values in adjacent layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2101/90 Multiple hosts in the emissive layer
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/11 characterised by the electroluminescent [EL] layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/12 comprising dopants
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/15 Hole transporting layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/16 Electron transporting layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/12 using liquid deposition, e.g. spin coating
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/115 Polyfluorene; Derivatives thereof
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/151 Copolymers

Abstract

An electroluminescent device comprising: a first charge carrier injecting layer for injecting positive charge carriers; a second charge carrier injecting layer for injecting negative charge carriers; and a light-emissive layer located between the charge carrier injecting layers and comprising a mixture of: a first component for accepting positive charge carriers from the first charge carrier injecting layer; a second component for accepting negative charge carriers from the second charge carrier injecting layer; and a third, organic light-emissive component for generating light as a result of combination of charge carriers from the first and second components; at least one of the first, second and third components forming a type II semiconductor interface with another of the first, second and third components.

Claims

1. A method for forming an electroluminescent device, which method comprises:

forming a first charge carrier injecting layer for injecting charge carriers of a first polarity;

forming a semiconducting region over the first charge carrier injecting layer, the semiconducting region comprising a first semiconducting organic layer comprising a first semiconducting organic component adjacent to a second semiconducting organic layer comprising a second semiconducting organic component; and

forming a second charge carrier injecting layer over the semiconducting region for injecting charge carriers of the opposite polarity;

wherein the step of forming the semiconducting region comprises depositing the second semiconducting organic component over the first semiconducting organic layer from a solvent in which the first semiconducting organic component is soluble.

2. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first semiconducting organic layer is capable of hole transport.

3. A method according to claim 2, wherein the second semiconducting organic layer is light emissive.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the first semiconducting organic layer is TFB.

5. A method according to claim 3, wherein the second semiconducting organic layer comprises a blend of 2 or more polymers.

6. A method according to claim 5, wherein the second semiconducting organic layer comprises a blend of 5F8BT and TFB.

7. A method according to claim 3, wherein the second semiconducting organic layer comprises two or more components, wherein at least one of the components is capable of emitting light, and at least one of the other components is capable of hole transport or electron transport, and wherein the two or more components are present as functional chemical units of the same molecule.

8. A method according to claim 7, wherein the second semiconducting organic layer comprises a terpolymer of F8, F8BT and TFB.

9. A method according to claim 1, wherein the first charge carrier injecting layer is an anode electrode layer and the second charge carrier injecting layer is a cathode electrode layer.

10. A method for forming an electroluminescent device, which method comprises:

forming an anode electrode layer;

forming a layer comprising PEDOT;

PSS over the anode electrode layer;

forming a semiconducting region over the anode electrode layer, the semiconducting region comprising a first semiconducting organic layer comprising a first semiconducting organic component adjacent to a second semiconducting organic layer comprising a second semiconducting organic component and;

forming a cathode electrode layer over the semiconducting region;

wherein the step of forming the semiconducting region comprises depositing the second semiconducting organic component over the first semiconducting organic layer from a solvent in which the first semiconducting organic component is soluble.