Complexation of low-molecular semiconductors for the application as an emitter complex in organic light-emitting electrochemical cells (OLEECs)

• US 8,921,847 B2
• Filed: 03/07/2012
• Issued: 12/30/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: OSRAM OLED GMBH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Original Assignee: OSRAM GmbH (Ams-Osram AG)
• Inventors: Krestel, Ana-Maria, Schmid, Gnter, Taroata, Dan, Hartmann, David, Sarfert, Wiebke
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Kyoung
• Application Number:
  US14/008,006
• Publication Number:
  US 20140103310A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,028 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 257/40
• CPC Class Codes: C07F 1/02 Lithium compounds
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/135 comprising mobile ions
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/00 Manufacture or treatment specially adapted for the organic devices covered by this subclass
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 71/12 using liquid deposition, e.g. spin coating
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/30 Coordination compounds

Abstract

The invention relates to an OLEEC component and to a production process therefor. This component has an active layer including a novel emitter complex. This complex is formed by the coordination of low molecular weight semiconductors around a central cation. The complexation allows wet-chemical processing of low molecular weight semiconductors. This also allows formation of emitter complexes from effective hole or electron transport materials.

Claims

1. A light-emitting component comprising at least one substrate, a first electrode, a second electrode, and an active layer, wherein the active layer comprises at least one ionic emitter complex, the ionic emitter complex being configured for ligand-centered emission.

2. The light-emitting component according to claim 1 working by the principle of an organic electrochemical cell.

3. The light-emitting component according to claim 1, wherein the ionic emitter complex comprises at least one central cation and at least one ligand coordinated thereto, the ligand being a small molecule.

4. The light-emitting component according to claim 1, wherein the active layer comprises a matrix material in which the ionic emitter complex has been incorporated.

5. The light-emitting component according to claim 4, wherein the matrix material comprises an ionic liquid.

6. The light-emitting component according to claim 3, wherein the ligand is a transport material which typically finds use in organic light-emitting diodes.

7. The light-emitting component according to claim 3, wherein the ligand is an emitter material.

8. The light-emitting component according to claim 7, wherein the emitter material is a fluorescent emitter material, which typically finds use in organic light-emitting diodes.

9. The light-emitting component according to claim 3, wherein the central cation is a metal cation, an alkali metal or alkaline earth metal cation or ammonium or substituted derivatives thereof.

10. The light-emitting component according to claim 3, wherein the small molecule coordinated within the ionic emitter complex has an energy gap of essentially the same order of magnitude as the uncoordinated, uncharged small molecule.

11. The light-emitting component according to claim 3, wherein several uncharged small molecules are coordinated to the central cation in the ionic emitter complex.

12. The light-emitting component according to claim 1, wherein the ionic emitter complex is configured such that the proportion of ligand-centered emission is greater than the proportion of emission based on intermetallic transitions.

13. A production process for a light-emitting component, the process comprising:

synthesis of an ionic emitter complex from an uncharged small molecule as a ligand and a salt of a central cation,

introduction of the ionic emitter complex into a matrix material,

deposition of an active layer on a first electrode on a substrate, and

deposition of a second electrode on the active layer.

14. The production process according to claim 13, wherein the active layer is deposited in a wet-chemical process.

15. The production process according to claim 13, wherein the synthesis comprises:

preparing a solution of a salt of the central cation,

preparing a solution of the uncharged small molecule,

combining the two solutions, the two solutions being combined under protective gas atmosphere, and

after the reaction step, removing the solvents.

16. The production process according to claim 13, wherein the deposition of the active layer is followed by a thermal step for drying.