Electroluminescent devices having a light-emitting layer

• US 5,821,690 A
• Filed: 04/22/1996
• Issued: 10/13/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IPIFS Guarantee Corp.
• Original Assignee: Cambridge Display Technology Limited (Sumitomo Chemical Company Limited)
• Inventors: Martens, Josef Herbert Ferdinand, Friend, Richard Henry, Burn, Paul Leslie, Pichler, Karl, Holmes, Andrew Bruce
• Primary Examiner(s): Patel, Nimeshkumar
• Assistant Examiner(s): HAYNES, MACK NELSON
• Application Number:
  US08/604,966
• Time in Patent Office: 904 Days
• Field of Search: 313/504, 313/506, 313/503, 313/505, 313/509, 313/498, 313/507, 345/4, 345/79, 345/76, 257/40
• US Class Current: 313/506
• CPC Class Codes: C09K 11/06 containing organic luminescent materials
• CPC Class Codes: H05B 33/10 Apparatus or processes specially adapted to the manufacture of electroluminescent light sources
• 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: H05B 33/26 characterised by the composition or arrangement of the conductive material used as an electrode
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/125 specially adapted for multicolour light emission, e.g. for emitting white light
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/805 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/32 Stacked devices having two or more layers, each emitting at different wavelengths
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/86 Series electrical configurations of multiple OLEDs
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 85/114 Poly-phenylenevinylene; Derivatives thereof

Abstract

An electroluminescent device includes first and second layers (6, 12) of light emitting semiconductive conjugated polymers with an electrode arrangement (4, 8, 10, 14) for injecting charge carriers into both light emissive layers to cause light to be emitted therefrom. The first and second light emitting layers are in viewing overlap, and the electrode arrangement includes two sets of electrodes (4, 8, 10, 12) which can be operated independently. The first light emissive layer is arranged to emit radiation of a first wavelength when excited and the second light emissive layer is arranged to emit radiation of a second wavelength when excited. The electroluminescent device can thus be operated to cause either radiation of the first wavelength or radiation of the second wavelength or both to be emitted and viewed.

Claims

1. An electroluminescent device comprising:

a first emitter comprising an organic layer selected so that radiation of a first wavelength is emitted when charge carriers of opposite types are injected into the first emitter;

first electrode means arranged to inject charge carriers into said first emitter, said first electrode means including first and second contact layers of different types arranged on either side of the first emitter and connected to a source for applying an electric field between the first and second contact layers so that charge carriers of respective first and second types are injected into the first emitter;

a second emitter comprising an organic layer arranged in viewing overlap with said first emitter and selected so that radiation of a second wavelength is emitted when charge carriers of opposite types are injected into the second emitter; and

second electrode means arranged to inject charge carriers into said second emitter, said second electrode means being operable independently of said first electrode means whereby either radiation of said first wavelength or radiation of said second wavelength or both can be caused to be emitted and viewed.

2. An electroluminescent device according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode means comprises third and fourth contact layers on either side of the second emitter and connected to a second source for applying an electric field between the third and fourth contact layers.

3. An electroluminescent device according to claim 1, wherein the second electrode means includes said second contact layer and a third contact layer lying on the other side of the second emitter, said second and third contact layers being connected to a second source for applying an electric field across the second emitter.

4. An electroluminescent device according to claim 1, wherein the first contact layer comprises indium tin oxide and the second contact layer comprises calcium.

5. An electroluminescent device according to claim 2 wherein the third contact layer comprises gold and the fourth contact layer comprises calcium.

6. An electroluminescent device according to claim 5 wherein the fourth contact layer of calcium is provided with a capping layer.

7. An electroluminescent device according to claim 6 wherein the capping layer comprises aluminium.

8. An electroluminescent device according to claim 4 wherein the third contact layer comprises gold and the fourth contact layer comprises calcium.

9. An electroluminescent device according to claim 8 wherein the fourth contact layer of calcium is provided with a capping layer.

10. An electroluminescent device according to claim 9 wherein the capping layer comprises aluminium.

11. An electroluminescent device according to claim 2 wherein the combined thickness of the second and third contact layers is of the order of a few hundred angstroms.

12. An electroluminescent device according to claim 5 wherein the combined thickness of the second and third contact layers is of the order of a few hundred angstroms.

13. An electroluminescent device according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the first emitter and the second emitter comprise at least one sublimed organic molecular layer.

14. An electroluminescent device according claim 1 wherein at least one of the first emitter and the second emitter comprise at least one semiconductive conjugated polymer layer.

15. An electroluminescent device according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the first emitter and the second emitter each comprise a plurality of semiconductive conjugated polymer layers.

16. An electroluminescent device according to claim 1 wherein the first emitter comprises a layer of PPV.

17. An electroluminescent device according to claim 1 wherein the second emitter comprises a layer of MEH-PPV.

18. An electroluminescent device according to claim 14 wherein each layer of semiconductive conjugated polymer has a semiconductive bandgap selected so that radiation of a predetermined wavelength is emitted.

19. An electroluminescent device according to claim 15 wherein each layer of semiconductive conjugated polymer has a semiconductive bandgap selected so that radiation of a predetermined wavelength is emitted.

20. An electroluminescent device according to claim 16 wherein each layer of semiconductive conjugated polymer has a semiconductive bandgap selected so that radiation of a predetermined wavelength is emitted.

21. An electroluminescent device according to claim 17 wherein each layer of semiconductive conjugated polymer has a semiconductive bandgap selected so that radiation of a predetermined wavelength is emitted.

22. A method of making an electroluminescent device comprising the steps of:

providing on a substrate a first electrode for injecting charge carriers of a first type;

depositing on top of said first electrode a first emitter comprising an organic layer selected so that radiation of a first wavelength is emitted when charge carriers of opposite types are injected into the first emitter;

providing on top of said first emitter a second electrode for injecting charge carriers of a second type;

depositing on top of said second electrode a second emitter comprising an organic layer selected so that radiation of a second wavelength is emitted when charge carriers of opposite types are injected into the second emitter;

providing on top of said second emitter a third electrode for injecting charge carriers of said first type;

connecting the first and second electrodes to a first source for applying an electric field across the first emitter so that charge carriers of the first and second types are injected into the first emitter; and

connecting the second and third electrodes to a second source for applying an electric field across the second emitter so that charge carriers of the first and second types are injected into the second emitter, the first and second source for applying electric fields being operable independently one from another whereby either radiation of said first wavelength or radiation of said second wavelength or both can be caused to be emitted and viewed.

23. A method according to claim 22 wherein the step of providing a first electrode comprises coating a glass substrate with indium tin oxide and etching the indium tin oxide to define an active area of the device.

24. A method according to claim 22 wherein the step of providing a second electrode comprises depositing a semi-transparent metallic layer having a thickness of the order of a few hundred angstroms in the form of a strip overlapping the first electrode.

25. A method according to claim 22 wherein the step of providing a third electrode comprises depositing a metallic layer in the form of a strip in partial overlap with the second electrode.

26. A method according to claim 22 wherein at least one of the first emitter and the second emitter comprise a layer of a semiconductive conjugated polymer.

27. A method according to claim 22 wherein at least one of the first emitter and the second emitter comprise a layer of sublimed organic molecular film.

28. An electroluminescent device comprising:

a first emitter comprising an organic layer selected so that radiation of a first wavelength is emitted when charge carriers of opposite types are injected into the first emitter;

first electrode means arranged to inject charge carriers into said first emitter, said first electrode means including first and second contact layers of different types arranged on either side of the first emitter and connected to a source for applying an electric field between the first and second contact layers so that charge carriers of respective first and second types are injected into the first emitter, the second contract layer comprising a semi-transparent metallic layer having a thickness of the order of a few hundred angstroms;

a second emitter comprising an organic layer arranged in viewing overlap with said first emitter and selected so that radiation of a second wavelength is emitted when charge carriers of opposite types are injected into the second emitter; and

second electrode means arranged to inject charge carriers into said second emitter, said second electrode means being operable independently of said first electrode means whereby either radiation of said first wavelength or radiation of said second wavelength or both can be caused to be emitted and viewed.