Non-blocked phosphorescent OLEDs

• US 7,807,275 B2
• Filed: 04/21/2005
• Issued: 10/05/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Universal Display Corporation
• Original Assignee: Universal Display Corporation
• Inventors: Weaver, Michael Stuart, Kwong, Raymond, Adamovich, Vadim
• Primary Examiner(s): Tarazano; D. Lawrence
• Assistant Examiner(s): WILSON, MICHAEL H
• Application Number:
  US11/110,776
• Publication Number:
  US 20060240279A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,993 Days
• Field of Search: 428/690, 428/917, 313/504, 313/506, 257/40
• US Class Current: 428/690
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 2101/10 Triplet emission
• 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 50/15 Hole transporting layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/16 Electron transporting layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/342 comprising iridium
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/615 Polycyclic condensed aromatic hydrocarbons, e.g. anthracene
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 428/917 Electroluminescent
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 428/24942 including components having same physical characteristic in differing degree

Abstract

An organic light emitting diode (OLED) architecture in which efficient operation is achieved without requiring a blocking layer by locating the recombination zone close to the hole transport side of the emissive layer. Aryl-based hosts and Ir-based dopants with suitable concentrations result in an efficient phosphorescent OLED structure. Previously, blocking layer utilization in phosphorescent OLED architectures was considered essential to avoid exciton and hole leakage from the emissive layer, and thus keep the recombination zone inside the emissive layer to provide high device efficiency and a pure emission spectrum.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

an anode and a cathode;

an emissive layer disposed between and electrically connected to the anode and the cathode, the emissive layer comprising an organic host and an organic dopant;

an organic hole transport layer between the anode and the emissive layer;

an organic electron transport layer between the cathode and the emissive layer,

wherein said electron transport layer is a single layer and is the only layer between the cathode and the emissive layer,

the HOMO level of the organic host is no more than 0.8 eV below the HOMO level of the hole transport layer,

the LUMO level of the organic host is no more than 0.4 eV above the LUMO level of the electron transport layer,

the HOMO level of the electron transport layer is no more than 0.4 eV below the HOMO level of the host,

the HOMO and LUMO levels being calculated by density functional calculation, and

wherein there is a triplet recombination zone within the emissive layer not more than 10% of the thickness of the emissive layer away from an interface between the emissive layer with the hole transport layer.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the organic dopant is a phosphorescent material.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the organic dopant has a triplet energy corresponding to a peak emission wavelength of less than 600 nm.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the dopant is an iridium(III) organometallic complex.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein the dopant is Ir(5-Phppy)₃.

6. The device of claim 2, wherein the dopant is Ir(3′

-Meppy)₃.

7. The device of claim 2, wherein

8. A device comprising:

an anode and a cathode;

an emissive layer disposed between and electrically connected to the anode and the cathode, the emissive layer comprising an organic host and an organic dopant;

an organic hole transport layer between the anode and the emissive layer;

an organic electron transport layer between the cathode and the emissive layer,

wherein said electron transport layer is a single layer and is the only layer between the cathode and the emissive layer,

the organic dopant is a phosphorescent dopant having a triplet energy corresponding to a peak emission wavelength of less than 600 nm,

the host comprises a fused-aryl ring compound;

and wherein there is a triplet recombination zone within the emissive layer, not more than 10% of the thickness of the emissive layer away from an interface between the emissive layer with the hole transport layer.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the fused-aryl ring compound comprises a naphthalene moiety.

10. The device of claim 8, wherein the fused-aryl ring compound comprises a phenanthrene moiety.

11. The device of claim 8, wherein the organic host is a dicarbazolephenanthren compound.

12. The device of claim 8, wherein the organic dopant is Ir(5-Phppy)₃.

13. The device of claim 9, wherein the organic dopant is Ir(3′

-Meppy)₃.

14. The device of claim 8, wherein the organic host is a dicarbazolephenanthren compound and the organic dopant is Ir(3′

-Meppy)₃.

15. A device comprising:

an anode and a cathode;

an emissive layer disposed between and electrically connected to the anode and the cathode, the emissive layer comprising an organic host and an organic dopant;

an organic hole transport layer between the anode and the emissive layer;

an organic electron transport layer between the cathode and the emissive layer,

wherein said electron transport layer is a single layer and is the only layer between the cathode and the emissive layer,

the organic dopant is a phosphorescent dopant having a triplet energy corresponding to a peak emission wavelength of less than 600 nm, and

wherein there is a triplet recombination zone within the emissive layer not more than 10% of the thickness of the emissive layer away from an interface between the emissive layer with the hole transport layer.

16. The device of claim 15, wherein the dopant is Ir(5-Phppy)₃.

17. The device of claim 15, wherein the dopant is Ir(3′

-Meppy)₃.

18. The device of claim 15, wherein the device has a lifetime>

3,000 hours to 80% of an initial luminance of 1,000 cd/m².

19. The device of claim 15, wherein the device has a lifetime>

10,000 hours to 50% of an initial luminance of 1,000 cd/m².