Light-emitting element, light-emitting device, display device, electronic device, and lighting device

• US 9,142,710 B2
• Filed: 08/07/2013
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/10/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Seo, Satoshi, Ishisone, Takahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): MOORE, WHITNEY
• Application Number:
  US13/961,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20140042469A1
• Time in Patent Office: 776 Days
• Field of Search: 257/94
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 33/002 having heterojunctions or graded gap
• 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 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 50/13 comprising stacked EL layers within one EL unit
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/15 Hole transporting layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/16 Electron transporting layers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/81 Anodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/82 Cathodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/351 comprising more than three subpixels, e.g. red-green-blue-white [RGBW]
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/38 comprising colour filters or colour changing media [CCM]

Abstract

A light-emitting element which uses a plurality of kinds of light-emitting dopants emitting light in a balanced manner and has high emission efficiency is provided. Further, a light-emitting device, a display device, an electronic device, and a lighting device each having reduced power consumption by using the above light-emitting element are provided. A light-emitting element which includes a plurality of light-emitting layers including different phosphorescent materials is provided. In the light-emitting element, the light-emitting layer which includes a light-emitting material emitting light with a long wavelength includes two kinds of carrier-transport compounds having properties of transporting carriers with different polarities. Further, in the light-emitting element, the triplet excitation energy of a host material included in the light-emitting layer emitting light with a short wavelength is higher than the triplet excitation energy of at least one of the carrier-transport compounds.

Claims

1. A light-emitting device comprising:

an anode;

a first light-emitting layer over the anode, the first light-emitting layer comprising a first phosphorescent compound and a first host material;

a second light-emitting layer between the anode and the first light-emitting layer and in contact with the first light-emitting layer, the second light-emitting layer comprising a second phosphorescent compound, a first electron-transport compound, and a first hole-transport compound; and

a cathode over the first light-emitting layer,

wherein an emission wavelength of the second phosphorescent compound is longer than an emission wavelength of the first phosphorescent compound,

wherein a triplet excitation energy of the first host material is higher than or equal to a triplet excitation energy of the first electron-transport compound or the first hole-transport compound,

wherein the first electron-transport compound and the first hole-transport compound form an exciplex, and

wherein a difference in energy between an emission peak wavelength of the exciplex and a peak wavelength of an absorption band of the second phosphorescent compound which originates from a triplet metal to ligand charge transfer transition, is 0.2 eV or less.

2. The light-emitting device according to claim 1,

wherein the first host material has a hole-transport property.

3. The light-emitting device according to claim 1,

wherein the first light-emitting layer further comprises a second host material,

wherein the second host material has an electron-transport property, and

wherein a triplet excitation energy of the second host material is higher than or equal to the triplet excitation energy of the first electron-transport compound or the first hole-transport compound.

4. The light-emitting device according to claim 3, wherein the first host material and the second host material form an exciplex.

5. A lighting device comprising the light-emitting device according to claim 1.

6. An electronic device comprising the light-emitting device according to claim 1.

7. A light-emitting device comprising:

an anode;

a first light-emitting layer over the anode, the first light-emitting layer comprising a first phosphorescent compound and a first host material;

a second light-emitting layer between the first light-emitting layer and the anode and in contact with the first light-emitting layer, the second light-emitting layer comprising a second phosphorescent compound, a first electron-transport compound, and a first hole-transport compound;

a third light-emitting layer between the second light-emitting layer and the anode and in contact with the second light-emitting layer, the third light-emitting layer comprising a third phosphorescent compound, a second electron-transport compound, and a second hole-transport compound; and

a cathode over the first light-emitting layer,

wherein an emission wavelength of the second phosphorescent compound is longer than an emission wavelength of the first phosphorescent compound,

wherein an emission wavelength of the third phosphorescent compound is longer than the emission wavelength of the second phosphorescent compound,

wherein a triplet excitation energy of the first host material is higher than or equal to a triplet excitation energy of the first electron-transport compound or the first hole-transport compound,

wherein the first electron-transport compound and the first hole-transport compound form an exciplex, and

wherein a difference in energy between an emission peak wavelength of the exciplex and a peak wavelength of an absorption band of the second phosphorescent compound, which originates from a triplet metal to ligand charge transfer transition is 0.2 eV or less.

8. The light-emitting device according to claim 7, wherein the triplet excitation energies of the first electron-transport compound and the first hole-transport compound are higher than a triplet excitation energy of the second electron-transport compound or the second hole-transport compound.

9. The light-emitting device according to claim 7,

wherein the first host material has an electron-transport property.

10. The light-emitting device according to claim 7,

wherein the first light-emitting layer further comprises a second host material,

wherein the second host material has a hole-transport property, and

wherein a triplet excitation energy of the second host material is higher than or equal to the triplet excitation energy of the first electron-transport compound or the first hole-transport compound.

11. The light-emitting device according to claim 10, wherein the first host material and the second host material form an exciplex.

12. The light-emitting device according to claim 7, wherein the first electron-transport compound and the second electron-transport compound are the same material.

13. The light-emitting device according to claim 7, wherein the first hole-transport compound and the second hole-transport compound are the same material.

14. The light-emitting device according to claim 7,

wherein the first electron-transport compound and the second electron-transport compound are the same material, and

wherein the first hole-transport compound and the second hole-transport compound are the same material.

15. A lighting device comprising the light-emitting device according to claim 7.

16. An electronic device comprising the light-emitting device according to claim 7.