The disclosure relates in general to an organic light emitting device, and more particularly to an organic light emitting device with improved light efficiency.
An organic light emitting device, also called an OLED, are attractive because of their low drive voltage, high luminance, wide viewing angle, and capability for full color flat emission displays and for other applications. Also, OLED is capable of providing the full spectrum light which is closest to natural lighting. With those special properties, OLED has become increasingly interesting technology for lighting applications, among other applications.
Notwithstanding all the developments made in the OLED field, there are more continuing needs for OLED devices that provide higher light efficiency. Low SPP (surface plasmon polariton) mode is one of key factors of high light efficiency of an OLED. The less the exciton energy is coupled into the cathode, the more light the OLED discharges.
The disclosure is directed to an organic light emitting device, which is designed for decreasing the possibility of exciton energy directly coupled into the cathode or the possibility of propagation of the TM polarized light, thereby significantly increasing the light efficiency of the OLED.
According to one embodiment, an organic light emitting device (OLED) is provided, comprising a first electrode and a second electrode disposed oppositely, and a dipole controlled organic light emitting layer formed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The dipole controlled organic light emitting layer comprises at least one organic light emitting material, and longest axes of organic molecules of the organic light emitting material are arranged as an anisotropic array.
In one embodiment, an organic light emitting device (OLED) may further comprises a periodic array of nano-grating structure formed between the first electrode and the second electrode.
According to another embodiment, an organic light emitting device (OLED) is provided, comprising a first electrode and a second electrode disposed oppositely, and a dipole controlled organic light emitting layer formed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The dipole controlled organic light emitting layer comprises at least one organic light emitting material, and exciton dipole moments of the organic molecules of the organic light emitting material in the dipole controlled organic light emitting layer are anisotropic.
In the following detailed description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the disclosed embodiments. It will be apparent, however, that one or more embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known structures and devices are schematically shown in order to simplify the drawing.
Below, exemplary embodiments of organic light emitting devices will be described in detail with reference to accompanying drawings so as to be easily realized by a person having ordinary knowledge in the art. The inventive concept may be embodied in various forms without being limited to the exemplary embodiments set forth herein. Descriptions of well-known parts are omitted for clarity, and like reference numerals refer to like elements throughout.
In the embodiments, the organic light emitting device (OLED) with particular designs, such as the OLEDs having the dipole controlled organic light emitting layers (with anisotropically oriented organic molecules or dipole moments) and/or a periodic array of nano-grating structure (functioning as photonic crystals inside) between the opposite electrodes of the device (such as formed in the organic light emitting layer), are provided hereinafter for illustrations. According to the structural designs of the embodiments, it is capable of decreasing the possibility of exciton energy directly coupled into the cathode greatly, and/or decreasing the possibility of propagation of the TM polarized light. Thus, the light efficiency of the OLED can be significantly increased.
Embodiments are provided hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings for describing the related configurations and procedures, but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. It is noted that not all embodiments of the invention are shown. Structures of the embodiments would be different, and could be modified and changed optionally according to the design needs of the application. Modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure to meet the requirements of the practical applications. Thus, there may be other embodiments of the present disclosure which are not specifically illustrated. It is also important to point out that the illustrations may not be necessarily be drawn to scale. Thus, the specification and the drawings are to be regard as an illustrative sense rather than a restrictive sense.
In the first embodiment, the longest axes of organic molecules 151 of the organic light emitting material are arranged as an anisotropic array. Alternatively, exciton dipole moments 153 of the organic molecules 151 in the dipole controlled organic light emitting layer 15 of the first embodiment are anisotropic, before or after the OLED operation.
As shown in
The organic molecules 151 of the dipole controlled organic light emitting layer 15 can be anisotropically oriented, and the organic molecules 151 is leaned toward to the light discharge plane of the OLED for decreasing the possibility of exciton energy directly coupled into the second electrode 12 (ex: cathode). Please refer to
Alternatively, the exciton dipole moments 153 in the dipole controlled organic light emitting layer 15 can be anisotropically oriented, and the exciton dipole moments 153 is leaned toward to the light discharge plane of the OLED for decreasing the possibility of exciton energy directly coupled into the second electrode 12 (ex: cathode). Please refer to
In one embodiment, an angle (θm) of the longest axes of the organic molecules 151 with respect to an extending direction of the first electrode 11 can be equal to an angle (θd) of said exciton dipole moments 153 of the organic molecules 151 with respect to the extending direction of the first electrode 11. In alternative embodiment, an angle (θm) of the longest axes of the organic molecules 151 with respect to an extending direction of the first electrode 11 can be different from an angle (θd) of said exciton dipole moments 153 of the organic molecules 151 with respect to the extending direction of the first electrode 11, which means an angle exists between the exciton dipole moments 153 and the longest axes of the organic molecules 151.
According to the embodiment, the organic molecules 151 of the organic light emitting material or the dipole moments 153 of the organic light emitting layer 15 exhibit an orderly arrangement such as anisotropically arranged, in order to prevent exciton energy from transferring into the SPP (surface plasmon polariton) mode, thereby decreasing the possibility of exciton energy directly coupled into the cathode. Low SPP mode is one of key factors of high light efficiency of an OLED. There are a variety of orderly arrangements for anisotropic orientation of the organic molecules 151 and/or the dipole moments 153 in the applications.
As shown in
Similarly, the dipole moments 153 of the embodiment can exhibit the anisotropic arrangements as exemplified by a pattern with rows in parallel, a pattern with columns in parallel, an array of matrix, a radiation pattern, a spiral pattern in respective
According to the embodiment, the anisotropic orientation of the organic molecules 151 and/or the dipole moments 153 can be formed by applying an action at a distance, such as providing a magnetic field or an electrical field in the procedures of fabricating the dipole controlled organic light emitting layer 15. For example, the organic molecules 151 can be anisotropically oriented by introducing a magnetic field or an electrical field to the environment for depositing, coating or material mixing of the organic light emitting layer 15.
Alternatively, the anisotropic orientation of the organic molecules 151 and/or the dipole moments 153 can be formed during the OLED operation.
Thus, anisotropically oriented the organic molecules 151 and/or the dipole moments 153 of the embodiment can be presented before or after the OLED operation, and the present disclosure has no particular limitation thereto.
In the second embodiment, an OLED 2 at least comprises a first electrode 11 and a second electrode 12 disposed oppositely, an organic light emitting layer 25 formed between the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12, and a periodic array of nano-grating structure 26 formed between the first electrode 11 and the second electrode 12. In one embodiment, the periodic array of nano-grating structure 26 can be, but not limitedly, formed in the organic light emitting layer 25, as depicted in
Generally, the propagating direction of TM polarized light is parallel to the extending direction of the first electrode 11, or parallel to the extending direction of a light discharge plane (ex: to surface of organic light emitting layer 25) of the OLED. The propagating direction of TE polarized light is perpendicular to the extending direction of the first electrode, or perpendicular to the extending direction of the light discharge plane of the OLED. For an OLED of the second embodiment, the periodic array of nano-grating structure 26 is a periodic array resulting in a photonic bandgap, and a range of frequency within which a specific wavelength of light, such as TM polarized light can be blocked. Therefore, the periodic array of nano-grating structure 26 in the organic light emitting layer 25 according to the second embodiment allows TE polarized light to propagate into the periodic array (photonic crystals) and through the organic light emitting layer 25, but inhibits even prevents the propagation of the TM polarized light.
In the second embodiment, since the periodic array of nano-grating structure 26 in the organic light emitting layer 25 inhibits and/or prevents the propagation of the TM polarized light, more light energy would be saved for TE polarization. Therefore, the ratio of TM polarization to TE polarization is significantly decreased. In one embodiment, the ratio of TM polarization to TE polarization is about 0.1 or less. Less or no TE polarized light is generated and/or propagated, and the possibility of exciton energy of TE polarized light coupled into the cathode (ex: the second electrode 12) is decreased consequently, Thus, the light efficiency of the OLED of the second embodiment can be significantly improved.
In an alternative embodiment, an organic light emitting layer of an organic light emitting device may comprise the periodic array of nano-grating structure 26 as described in the second embodiment, and the anisotropically oriented organic molecules 151 and/or dipole moments 153 as described in the first embodiment, to ensure the decrease of the possibility of exciton energy coupled into the cathode.
In the third embodiment, an OLED further comprises an electron-transporting layer (ETL) formed between the second electrode (ex: cathode) 12 and the organic light emitting layer 35. The organic light emitting layer 35 could be the dipole controlled organic light emitting layer 15 comprising anisotropically oriented organic molecules 151 and/or dipole moments 153 as described in the first embodiment, or the periodic array of nano-grating structure 26 as described in the second embodiment, or both.
Besides the ETL, other layers typically adopted in the OLED could be constructed optionally, but not limitedly. As shown in
In one embodiment, the ETL has a thickness in a range of about 2 nm to about 200 nm.
According to the third embodiment, the electron-transporting layer (ETL) is formed between the second electrode (ex: cathode) and the organic light emitting layer 35 for further decreasing the possibility of exciton energy coupled into the cathode, thereby achieving a higher light efficiency of the embodied OLED.
In the fourth embodiment, a side of the substrate 10 opposite to the first electrode 11 may have a light dispersion surface, by laminating an extra light dispersion layer 17 on the substrate 10 (
As shown in
Also, the light dispersion layer 17 can be made from a material different from the substrate 10. In one embodiment, a refractive index of the light dispersion layer 17 is higher than a refractive index of the substrate 10 to ensure the light to be discharged out of the device efficiently.
As shown in
In the fifth embodiment, an OLED 5 further comprises an intermediate layer 18 disposed between the substrate 10 and the first electrode 11, and a plurality of light-scattering particles 181 are distributed in the intermediate layer 18 for scattering light. According to the fifth embodiment, the light-scattering particles 181 distributed in the intermediate layer 18 help to guide the light emitted from the organic light emitting layer 35 upwardly, which also makes it possible to take out a greater amount of light.
Additionally, a substrate with a high refractive index can be adopted in the OLED of the embodiment, to ensure the light to be discharged out of the device efficiently. In one embodiment, a substrate 10/10′ of an embodied OLED has a high refractive index higher than that of the first electrode 11. In one embodiment, a substrate 10/10′ of an embodied OLED has a high refractive index n larger than 1.5, such as in a range of larger than 1.5 to 2.0. In one embodiment, the first electrode 11 can be an ITO having a refractive index of about 1.9, and the substrate 10 having a refractive index of larger than about 1.5. In one embodiment, a substrate 10/10′ of an embodied OLED has a high refractive index n equal to or larger than 1.9.
According to the aforementioned descriptions, an organic light emitting device (OLED) of the embodiment could comprise an organic light emitting layer with anisotropically oriented organic molecules or dipole moments (to form a dipole controlled organic light emitting layer), and/or with a periodic array of nano-grating structure (ex: functioning as photonic crystals) contained inside, or both. In one of the embodiments, the organic molecules of the organic light emitting material or the dipole moments of the organic light emitting layer exhibit an orderly arrangement such as anisotropically arranged, in order to prevent exciton energy from transferring into the SPP mode, thereby decreasing the possibility of exciton energy directly coupled into the cathode. In one of the embodiments, the periodic array of nano-grating structure between the first and second electrodes (ex: in the organic light emitting layer) inhibits generation and propagation of TM polarized light in the organic light emitting layer. According to the structural designs of the embodiments, it is capable of decreasing the possibility of exciton energy directly coupled into the cathode. Thus, the light efficiency of the OLED can be significantly increased.
It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and variations can be made to the disclosed embodiments. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims and their equivalents.
This application claims the benefit of U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 61/901,039, filed Nov. 7, 2013, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.
Number | Date | Country | |
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61901039 | Nov 2013 | US |