(1) Field of the Invention
This invention relates to color display devices, in particular to pseudomorphic cladded quantum dot nanophosphor thin film color display devices.
(2) Description of the Related Art
Cladded quantum dots have been extensively reported in the literature as a way of improving light emission intensity in quantum dots. For example, cladded nanocrystals (CNCs) having CdSe core and ZnS cladding (or shell) have been used to produce high photoluminescence efficiency quantum dots. These dots however, suffer from appreciable lattice mismatch between the core and cladding layer(s) that in turn contributes to a number of undesirable features such as:
Liquid phase (solution) grown nanocrystals possess certain limitations in creating core-shell architectures with improved lattice-matching. Although the lattice mismatch of ZnS cladding is significant to that of the CdSe core, these CNCs emit brighter than their uncladded counterparts. Cladding with CdS produces less strained lattices. This in turns makes the CdSe/CdS core/shell CNCs to photoluminescence brighter than the CdSe/ZnS CNCs. Restricting the cladding layer thickness to only few monolayers provides one way to reduce the interfacial defects (via strained layers). Once the thickness of the cladding is increased, the photoluminescence quantum efficiency of these CNCs plummets as a result of strain-induced defects, which become dominant. Therefore, the present state of the art is based on thinly cladded CNC nanocrystals. These CNCs are further coated with surface passivation organic surfactant layers, which in turn play a major role to the photoluminescence efficiency of these nanocrystals. Nanocrystals prepared this way, when incorporated in electroluminescent (EL) devices, utilizing carrier injection invariably yields poor EL efficiencies.
A layer of trioctyl phosphine oxide (TOPO) is presently one of the best surface passivating agent used in the liquid phase growth of these CNCs. TOPO in conjunction with TOP (trioctyl phosphine) passivates both cationic (Cd2+, Zn2+, Te2+, etc.) and anionic (Se2−, S2−, O2−, etc.) surface species respectively.
Once the organic passivation agent(s) are partially removed or somehow degrade during device operation, the emission characteristics and brightness of these CNCs are significantly impaired. In addition, the natural inability of the organic phase towards dielectric breakdown poses a significant limitation for these CNCs to find application in field-assisted electroluminescent devices.
An alternate technology is the use of doped nanocrystals, DNCs, where a dopant is introduced in the quantum dot, such as Mn in ZnS. These DNCs are incorporated in the form of thin films and used for electroluminescence or cathodoluminescence device applications.
Use of cladding layer material that has a higher band gap than the core with similar lattice constant results in a pseudomorphic cladded quantum dot. In this arrangement, the core-cladding lattice mismatch is accommodated as tensile or compressive strain. Having a small mismatch permits the growth of thicker cladding layers as has been shown in pseudomorphic strain layer quantum-wells. This improves the confinement of holes, electrons and excitons inside the core. In addition, these CNCs are less affected by the environment of the outer surface of the cladding layer, thus putting less stringent requirements on additional surface modifying layers. In particular, the known susceptibility of chalcogenides and other semiconducting materials to form oxides in the presence of atmospheric moisture and oxygen justifies the growth of compatible surface passivation layer(s) to further improve their environmental stability. Alternatively, one can use a compatible higher energy gap semiconducting layer before applying the outer passivation layer. Depending on the device structure, the outer layers could be semiconducting or conducting.
Quantum dots have been used to realize nanophosphor for a variety of display, lasers and luminescent-based diagnostic applications. The luminescent properties of these dots however, are strongly influenced by surface states. Cladding layers have been used to reduce these surface states, although the lattice mismatch in the materials for core and cladding creates undesirable quenching defects. In addition, the cladding layer prevents the injection of carriers, with the holes especially, hindered in reaching the core of these nanophosphors.
An object of this invention is to fabricate a high resolution color display device. Another object of this invention is to fabricate a display device using pseudomorphic cladded quantum dot nanophosphor thin film with high brightness.
This invention describes novel device structures for full color flat panel displays utilizing pseudomorphically cladded quantum dot nanocrystals. In this approach, different colors are obtained by changing the core size and/or composition of the quantum dots while maintaining a nearly defect-free lattice at the core-cladding interface. Light emission from the quantum dot core is obtained either by injection or by avalanche electroluminescence (EL).
Injection EL involves a novel approach injecting minority carriers in the core from the wide energy gap n and p-layers, through the cladding layer. In the case of inorganic-organic hybrid device structures, hole blocking layer surrounding the CNCs creates a favorable scenario for efficient injection and recombination taking place in the core of the cladded quantum dots. Avalanche EL device structures are proposed using single crystal, polycrystalline and amorphous starting surfaces. Device structures involving epitaxial layers and non-epitaxial growth are used. The ability to grow cladded nanocrystals (CNCs), pseudomorphically on single crystal substrates is also described. These, in conjunction with dielectric layers grown above and below the quantum dot layer(s), are expected to result in low voltage and high brightness CNC avalanche EL devices.
Variations of the disclosed structures are presented for various material systems. These generic EL devices can be addressed using a variety of conventional display drivers, including active and passive matrix configurations. In the case of avalanche/field emission EL, formation and use of nanotip structure is also presented.
a) shows the basic structure of conventional cladded nanocrystals, modified at their outer surface with TOPO or TOP.
b) illustrates a conventional thin-film based EL device.
a) shows an EL device comprising of pseudomorphic cladded quantum dots sandwiched between thin films of wider energy gap semiconductors.
b) shows a representative pseudomorphic CNC.
a) shows an injection based hybrid (organic/inorganic) EL device. The quantum dots are incorporated in between the n-type (inorganic) and hole-transporting (organic) semiconductor layers.
b) shows a structure similar to
c) shows an injection based hybrid (organic/inorganic) EL device. The quantum dots are incorporated within the hole-transporting organic semiconductor layer.
d) shows a structure similar to
a) shows an all-organic injection based EL device. The CNCs are incorporated within the p-type organic semiconductor layer.
b) shows a structure similar to
c) CNCs are sandwiched between the hole- and electron-transporting organic semiconductor layer.
d) shows a structure similar to
a) shows an EL structure where a viscous, mellifluous composite (consisting of CNCs, p-type organic semiconductors, oxidative agents and viscosity modifying agents having low vapor pressure), is sandwiched between two electrodes.
b) shows a display based on EL structure of
Ensuring that the spacing between the quantum dots is filled with wider energy gap semiconductor, channeling carriers through the embedded CNCs is expected to be particularly important to lower the driving voltage. These structures are expected to operate at significantly reduced voltages, (in the range from 5–20 V). The enhanced radiative transition rates in pseudomorphic CNCs make them suitable for fast frame rate applications. [Ref. 6]
In
In
In
d) shows a structure similar to
The profound permeability of organic compounds to moisture and oxygen requires the grown of a protective outer passivation layer on the CNCs. This is shown in
a) shows an all-organic CNC-based injection EL device. A substrate (60) supports an ITO layer 61. With the help of an organic conductive layer 62, holes are easily introduced to a composite layer 63, comprised of CNCs and an organic hole-transporting agent. Subsequently, an electron transporting organic layer 64 is deposited. This is followed deposition of a thin (8–20 Å) tunneling layer 65, which is contacted with a top electrode (66). The organic conductive layer 62 may be realized by polyaniline or polythiophene based conductive polymers. The electron transporting layer 64 may be realized by bathocuproin, BCP, (a material with a 3.5 eV band gap, capable of injecting electrons in CNCs and blocking hole transport to the cathode). The electron-transporting layer could be combination of two layers having two different energy gaps such as CBP and aluminum (III) quinoline (Alq3). The thin tunneling layer 65, may be composed from materials such as CsF, LiF, Al2O3, etc. The top electrode 66, may be realized by metals (e.g. Al) or a thin-transparent metal layer covered with ITO.
b) shows a structure similar to
c) shows a structure similar to
d) shows a structure similar to
a) shows an EL structure where a viscous, mellifluous composite layer 74, is sandwiched between two electrodes (72) supported on their respective substrate (71). The thickness of layer 74 is determined by the spacers (73). The viscous composite may consists of CNCs, hole-transporting organic semiconductors, oxidative agents, soluble salts (e.g. lithium triflate, lithium acetate, etc.) and low vapor pressure viscosity-modifying agents (e.g. dioctyl phthalate, low molecular weight polyethylene oxide, etc.). The spacers (73) may comprise of monodispersed glass microspheres.
b) shows an EL structure similar to that on
With a help of a microlithographically defined 3-D mold, monomeric or oligomeric precursors are squeezed and polymerized in place between the bottom substrate and the mold. Subsequently, the mold is removed and the viscous composite (74) comprising of CNCs, hole-transporting organic semiconductors, oxidative agents, soluble salts and low vapor pressure viscosity-modifying agents is either screen-printed or ink jet printed to fill the cavities within the elastomeric spacer (75). Red, green and blue RGB CNCs are used to define the three colors in the viscous composite (74R, 74G, 74B) to realize full color pixelated displays. The final step seals the structure by placing the cover (top substrate (77) and contacts (76)). Such structures are expected to be mass-produced adapting techniques known in the prior art.
A silicon/silicon oxide composite layer is realized on sapphire substrate 10, consisting of thin doped Si n/n+ regions 11, separated by SiO2 insulating regions 12 (the spacing between the oxide regions forms a pixel which may be between 10–50 micron in extension). The top surface of regions 11 and 12 contain a thin-layer of Si (13), which allows the growth of a p-Si layer 81. A thin (about 10 nm) patterned SiO2 layer 82 is deposited, which in turn is used to deposit p-Si layer 83 consisting of nanotips (e.g. using selective area epitaxy through 0.1 micron wide pattern. This is followed by the deposition of a wide energy gap layer 84 (e.g. ZnMgS etc), followed by deposition of a layer comprising of cladded quantum dots 85, and covered with another wider gap semiconductors layer 86. Top contact electrodes 87, running perpendicular to the doped Si regions 11 (contact shown as 89), are formed by metalization. The p-type semiconductor layer 81 is ohmically contacted via electrodes 88. Here, one can forward bias the n-p junction formed by layers 13 and 81, and reverse bias the junction formed by the p-Si nanotips 82 and n-type layer 84. The collected electrons from the nanotip layer are accelerated in layers 84, 85, and 86. They form electron-hole pairs, which in turn migrate to the cores of the cladded pseudomorphic quantum dots. Thus contacts 88 and 87 are reversed biased and contact 89 and 88 are forward biased.
This device structure permits active addressing via the biasing of contacts 89 and 88, or the emitter and base junction, viewing the device as an n-p-n structure. In a modified version, one can envision eliminating the emitter-base junction (formed between layers 13 and 81), and having nanoemitters directly providing carriers into phosphor via a reverse biased junction. The nanoemitters could be in the form of ridges or pyramids. There pointed tips that create higher values of electric field for a given reverse bias, result in the acceleration of collected carriers in the wider gap layer and the nanophoshor layer. This would result in introduction of carriers at much lower voltages than is anticipated in conventional field emission devices (FEDs).
While the preferred embodiments of the invention have been described, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications may be made in the embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Such modifications including lattice-matched or pseudomorphic cladded quantum dots, quantum dots with coupled cores are all within the scope of this invention. We have described p-n structures sandwiching quantum dot layer(s) for injection or avalanche type EL displays, Schottky barrier contacts can also be used. Wider energy gap semiconductor layers, dielectric layers, as well as quantum dots can be selected and patterned (in order to facilitate various addressing schemes, such as passive and active matrix) from a wide ranging material list. In addition, electrodes can be isolated via oxide regions (as shown in figures), reverse biased junctions, and other standard methods.
Although we have described EL devices, the structure is adaptable to cathodoluminiscence devices which are addressed by electron beam replacing the regular phosphor by quantum dot based nanophosphor. Various organic structures showing hole transport and electron transport layers can also be realized with variations in materials selected. We have not shown active matrix addressing. In Si on Insulator substrates, one can implement transistors in the top Si layer. Other logic devices can be integrated if needed.
This application is a continuation of application Ser. No. 09/547,415, filed Apr. 11, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,797,412
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Number | Date | Country | |
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20050006656 A1 | Jan 2005 | US |
Number | Date | Country | |
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Parent | 09547415 | Apr 2000 | US |
Child | 10805070 | US |