In this review, we discuss the physics underlying the operation of single and multiple heterojunction, vacuum-deposited organic solar cells based on small molecular weight thin films. For single heterojunction cells, we find that the need for direct contact between the deposited electrode and the active organics leads to quenching of excitons. An improved device architecture, the double heterojunction, is shown to confine excitons within the active layers, allowing substantially higher internal efficiencies to be achieved. A full optical and electrical analysis of the double heterostructure architecture leads to optimal cell design as a function of the optical properties and exciton diffusion lengths of the photoactive materials. Combining the double heterostructure with novel light trapping schemes, devices with external efficiencies approaching their internal efficiency are obtained. When applied to an organic photovoltaic cell with a power conversion efficiency of 1.0%±0.1% under 1 sun AM1.5 illuminati...

Small molecular weight organic thin-film photodetectors and solar cells

White organic light-emitting devices (WOLEDs) have advanced over the last twelve years to the extent that these devices are now being considered as efficient solid-state lighting sources. Initially, WOLEDs were targeted towards display applications for use primarily as liquid-crystal display backlights. Now, their power efficiencies have surpassed those of incandescent sources due to improvements in device architectures, synthesis of novel materials, and the incorporation of electrophosphorescent emitters. This review discusses the advantages and disadvantages of several WOLED architectures in terms of efficiency and color quality. Hindrances to their widespread acceptance as solid-state lighting sources are also noted.

White Organic Light‐Emitting Devices for Solid‐State Lighting

This article provides a review about electroluminescence from organic materials and deals in detail with organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), light-emitting electro-chemical cells (LECs) and electrogenerated chemilumi-nescence (ECL) reflecting different electrooptical appli-cations of conjugated materials. It is written from an organic chemist's point of view and pays particular attention to the development of organic materials involved in corresponding devices. In recent years a substantial amount of both academic and industrial research has been directed to organic electroluminescence in an effort to improve the processability and tunability of organic materials and the longevity of OLEDs and LECs. On the eve of the commercialization of organic electrolumi-nescence this review provides an overview of lifetimes and efficiencies attained and reflects materials and device concepts developed over the last decade. In this context electrogenerated chemiluminescence is discussed with respect to its importance as a versatile tool to simulate the fundamental electrochemical processes in OLEDs.

The electroluminescence of organic materials

Most present-day semiconductor devices use inorganic crystalline materials, with single-crystalline silicon dominating other materials like GaAs by about a factor of 1000. Despite the advantages of single-crystalline inorganic semiconductors like high room-temperature mobility (up to 1000 cm2/(V s)) and high stability, these materials are less suitable for low-cost and large-area applications. Additionally, silicon is an indirect semiconductor and therefore is not well suited for optoelectronic applications like light-emitting diodes. Solar cells from silicon are expensive and require a large amount of energy for their fabrication, leading to a long energy payback time. As an alternative, organic semiconductors have recently gained much attention (for review articles, see refs 1 -3 (OLEDs), ref 4 (organic electronics in general), and refs 5 and 6 (organic solar cells)). Originally, much of the research concentrated on single crystals, which can have mobilities of a few cm2/(V s) at room temperature and even much higher values at low temperature, as shown in the pioneering work of Karl et al.7 However, for practical applications, thinfilm organic semiconductors with disordered morphology, such as evaporated small-molecule compounds or polymers processed from solution, are prevailing. Organic semiconductors are already broadly applied as photoconductors for copiers and laser printers. * Corresponding author. E-mail: leo@iapp.de. Web address: www.iapp.de. 1233 Chem. Rev. 2007, 107, 1233−1271

Highly efficient organic devices based on electrically doped transport layers.

The present invention provides a heterocyclic compound and an organic light-emitting device including the heterocyclic compound. The organic light-emitting devices using the heterocyclic compounds have high-efficiency, low driving voltage, high luminance and long lifespan.

Organic light-emitting device

We study the effects of lithium (Li) incorporation in the cathodes of organic light-emitting devices. A thermally evaporated surface layer of metallic Li is found to diffuse through, and subsequently dope, the electron transporting organic semiconducting thin films immediately below the cathode, forming an Ohmic contact. A diffusion length of ∼700 A is inferred from analyses of the current–voltage and secondary ion mass spectrometry data. The conductivity of the Li-doped organic films is ∼3×10−5 S/cm. Photoemission spectroscopy suggests that Li lowers the barrier to injection at the organic/cathode interface, introduces gap states in the bulk of the organic semiconductor, and dopes the bulk to facilitate efficient charge transport.

Lithium doping of semiconducting organic charge transport materials

A highly transparent non-metallic cathode is disclosed that comprises a metal-doped organic electron injection layer that is in direct contact with a transparent non-metallic electron injecting cathode layer, such as indium tin oxide (ITO), wherein the metal-doped organic electron injection layer also functions as an exciton blocking or hole blocking layer. The metal-doped organic electron injection layer is created by diffusing an ultra-thin layer of about 5-10 Å of a highly electropositive metal such as Li throughout the layer. A representative embodiment of the highly transparent non-metallic cathode comprises a layer of ITO, a layer of 2,9-dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline (BCP), which acts as an electron injection, exciton blocking, and hole blocking layer, and an ultra-thin layer of lithium, which degenerately dopes the layer of BCP, improving the electron injecting properties of the BCP layer. This cathode is demonstrated for use in an OLED having a transparency of about 90% or higher combined with a device external quantum efficiency of about 1% or higher.

High efficiency transparent organic light emitting devices

A novel class of low reflectivity, high transparency, non-metallic cathodes (1) useful for a wide range of electrically active, transparent organic devices is disclosed. As a representative embodiment, the highly transparent non-metallic cathode (1) of an OLED employes a thin film of copper phthalocyanine (CuPc) (6) capped with a film of low-power, radio-frequency sputtered indium-tin-oxide (ITO). The CuPc prevents damage to the underlying organic layers during the ITO sputtering process. Due to the low reflectivity of the non-metallic cathode, a non-antireflection-coated, non-metallic-cathode-containing TOLED is disclosed that is 85 % transmissive in the visible, emitting nearly identical amounts of light in the forward and back-scattered directions.

Highly transparent non-metallic cathodes

Vertical stacking of organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) that emit the three primary colors is a means for achieving full-color flat panel displays. The physics, performance, and applications of stacked OLEDs (SOLEDs) are discussed in this and the following paper (Papers I and II, respectively). In Paper I, we analyze optical microcavity effects that can distort the emission colors of SOLEDs if not properly controlled, and describe design principles to minimize these parasitic effects. We also describe the fabrication and operating characteristics of transparent contacts that are an integral part of SOLEDs. We demonstrate that both metal-containing and metal-free transparent electrodes can serve as efficient electron and hole injectors into the stacked organic semiconductor layers. Two different transparent SOLED structures (metal-containing and metal-free) that exhibit sufficient performance for many full-color display applications will be discussed in Paper II.

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Transparent stacked organic light emitting devices. I. Design principles and transparent compound electrodes

Organic light emitting devices are disclosed which include a heterostructure for producing electroluminescence wherein the heterostructure includes a non-metallic cathode. As a representative embodiment of the present invention, the heterostructure for producing electroluminescence includes in order, a non-metallic cathode layer (1), an electron injecting interface layer (6), an electron transporting layer (2), a hole transporting layer (3), and an anode layer (4); wherein the non-metallic cathode layer (1) includes an indium-tin oxide layer in contact with a copper phthalocyanine layer which functions as the electron injecting interface layer (6).

Gautam Parthasarathy

Papers

Lithium doping of semiconducting organic charge transport materials

High efficiency transparent organic light emitting devices

Highly transparent non-metallic cathodes

Transparent stacked organic light emitting devices. I. Design principles and transparent compound electrodes

Highly transparent organic light emitting device employing a non-metallic cathode