A more complete appreciation of the present invention and many of the attendant advantages thereof, will be readily apparent as the present invention becomes better understood by reference to the following detailed description when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which like reference symbols indicate the same or similar components, wherein:
An Organic Light Emitting Display (OLED) and a method of manufacturing the OLED according to the present invention is described more fully below with reference to the accompanying drawings in which exemplary embodiments of the present invention are shown. In the drawings, the thicknesses of layers and regions are exaggerated for clarity.
Referring to
Next, an Electron Transporting Layer (ETL) is formed on the light emitting layer EL using a thermal evaporation method.
An Electron Injection Layer (EIL) and a cathode C are sequentially formed on the Electron Transporting Layer (ETL). The cathode C is formed of aluminium serving as a second electrode. The cathode C is formed to a thickness of approximately 150 nm. The Electron Injection Layer (EIL) is a LiF layer and is formed to a thickness of approximately 0.8 nm. The formation of the Electron Injection Layer (EIL) is optional. Therefore, the formation of the Electron Injection Layer (EIL) can be omitted in the process of sequentially forming the Electron Transporting Layer (ETL), the Electron Injection Layer (EIL), and the cathode C.
Although it is not depicted in
The light emitting layer EL is formed using a spin coating process. That is, after a mixed solution made by dissolving the small molecule host in an organic solvent and adding a light emitting dopant is spin coated on the Hole Transporting Layer (HTL), the light emitting layer EL is formed by baking the spin coated film. The organic solvent is 1,2-dichloroethane. When the light emitting layer EL and the Electron Transporting Layer (ETL) are formed, the light emitting layer EL and the Electron Transporting Layer (ETL) may be formed to a thickness that can maximize the resonance effect of light generated by the light emitting layer EL.
The small molecule host includes an electron transporting host E-host having a Highest Occupied Molecular Orbital (HOMO) level lower than the Hole Transporting Layer (HTL), and includes a hole transporting host H-host having a Lowest Unoccupied Molecular Orbital (LUMO) level higher than the Electron Transporting Layer (ETL). The small molecule host according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes TPBi as the electron transporting host E-host and NPB as the hole transporting host H-host.
The small molecule host can further include a third soluble host besides the electron transporting host E-host and the hole transporting host H-host. When the light emitting layer EL is formed using the third soluble host, a thin film forming characteristic is improved.
The small molecule host can be a mixture that includes two kinds of small molecule materials (hereinafter, a two component host) or can be a mixture that includes three kinds of small molecule materials (hereinafter, a three component host).
The combinations of the hosts are summarized in Table 1 and Table 2. Table 1 shows the combinations of two component hosts and Table 2 shows the combinations of three component hosts.
In the OLED and a method of manufacturing the OLED according to the present embodiment, the small molecule host can be one of the two component or three component hosts indicated in Tables 1 and 2. The small molecule host used in the first embodiment of the present invention is A3 in Table 1.
The hosts indicated in Tables 1 and 2 can also be used in light emitting layers of the OLEDs according to the second through seventh embodiments of the present invention, which are described later.
TPBi: 1,3,5-tris(N-phenylbenzimidazol-2,yl)benzene
PBD: 2-(4-Biphenylyl)-5-(4-tert-butylphenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole
BCP: 2,9-Dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanhro-line
BAlq: Bis-(2-methyl-8-quinolinolate)-4-(phenylphenolato)aluminium
OXD7: 1,3-bis(N,N-t-butyl-phenyl)-1,3,4-oxadiazole
TBADN: 3-Tert-butyl-9,10-di(naphth-2-yl)anthracene
NPB: N,N′-bis(1-naphtalenyl)-N-N′-bis(phenyl-benzidine)
TPD: N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)-N,N′-bis(phenyl)-benzidine
Spiro-NPB: N,N′-di(naphthalen-1-yl)-N,N′-diphenyl-spiro
DMFL-NPB: N,N′-di(naphthalene-1-yl)-N,N′-diphenyl-9,9′-dimethyl-fluorene
DPFL-NPB: N,N′-di(naphthalen-1-yl)-N,N′-diphenyl-9,9′-diphenyl-fluorene
mHOST5: 2,7-Di(N,N′-carbarzolyl)-9,9-bis[4-(2-ethylhexyloxy)-phenyl]fluorene
TPBi and TBADN have a function to improve in the characteristics of forming a thin film. mHOST5 is an electron transporting host and a host for improving the characteristics of forming a thin film.
Although it is not shown in Tables 1 and 2, BCP and BAlq can also be used as an electron transporting host E-host. Also, although it is not TPBi, PBD, BCP, BAlq, or OXD7, any compound that belongs to one of an anthracene compound, a phenanthracene compound, a pyrene compound, a perylene compound, a chrysene compound, a triphenylene compound, a fluoranthene compound, a periflanthene compound, an azole compound, a diazole compound, and a vinylene compound can be used as the electron transporting host E-host or the Electron Transporting Layer (ETL).
Also, although it is not TBADN, NPB, TPD, Spiro-NPB, DMFL-NPB, DPFL-NPB, or mHOST5, any compound that belongs to an oxadiazole compound having an amino substituent, a triphenylmethane compound having an amino substituent, a tertiary compound, a hydazone compound, a pyrazoline compound, an enamine compound, a styryl compound, a stilbene compound, and a carbazole compound can be used as the hole transporting host H-host or the Hole Transporting Layer (HTL).
The hosts are small molecule materials having high solubility. Accordingly, the light emitting layer in the OLED according to the first embodiment of the present invention can be readily formed using a solution process which is advantageous for manufacturing a large screen size. Therefore, according to the first embodiment of the present invention, the manufacture of an OLED that can be manufactured by a small molecule based solution process and has a very high luminous efficiency can be realized.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The fifth embodiment of the present invention is the same as the second embodiment except that Spiro-NPB is used as the X-NPB of the small molecule host (TPBi+X-NPB+mHOST5).
The sixth embodiment of the present invention is the same as the second embodiment except that DMFL-NPB is used as the X-NPB of the small molecule host (TPBi+X-NPB+mHOST5).
The seventh embodiment of the present invention is the same as the second embodiment except that DPFL-NPB is used as the X-NPB of the small molecule host (TPBi+X-NPB+mHOST5).
The formation of the Electron Transporting Layer (ETL) can be omitted in the first through seventh embodiments of the present invention.
Referring to
However, the HOMO level of the electron transporting host E-host is lower than the HOMO level of the Hole Transporting Layer (HTL), and the LUMO level of the hole transporting host H-host is higher than the LUMO level of the Electron Transporting Layer (ETL). Therefore, holes can be readily injected into the light emitting dopant DT from the the Hole Transporting Layer (HTL) through the hole transporting host H-host. Also, electrons can be readily injected into the light emitting dopant DT from the Electron Transporting Layer (ETL) through the electron transporting host E-host.
In the OLED according to the present embodiment, carrier trapping in the light emitting dopant DT occurs easily, thereby increasing luminous efficiency.
If the HOMO level of the electron transporting host E-host and the HOMO level of the Hole Transporting Layer (HTL) are similar to each other, holes can be injected into the electron transporting host E-host from the Hole Transporting Layer (HTL). The holes injected into the electron transporting host E-host cannot be effectively transported to the light emitting dopant DT, and thus, cannot contribute to the emission of light.
Also, if the LUMO level of the hole transporting host H-host and the LUMO level of the Electron Transporting Layer (ETL) are similar to each other, electrons can be injected into the hole transporting host H-host from the Electron Transporting Layer (ETL). The electrons injected into the hole transporting host H-host cannot be effectively transported to the light emitting dopant DT, and thus, cannot contribute to the emission of light.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
It is known that the maximum current efficiency of a conventional OLED manufactured by a solution process using polyvinylcabazole (PVK) is approximately 8 cd/A.
That is, the OLED according to the present invention has higher current efficiency than the conventional OLED. Since the current efficiency is expressed as brightness vs. current, the higher current efficiency denotes a higher luminous efficiency.
Referring to
Referring to
As described above, a light emitting layer EL of an OLED according to the present invention is formed using a small molecule based solution process. Furthermore, to increase in the carrier trapping efficiency, the HOMO and the LUMO levels of the light emitting layer, the Hole Transporting Layer (HTL), and the Electron Transporting Layer (ETL) are appropriately controlled. Therefore, according to the present invention, an OLED having large screen size and long lifespan can be realized.
While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to embodiments thereof, it should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. The materials for forming the anode A, the Hole Transporting Layer (HTL), the Electron Transporting Layer (ETL), the Electron Injection Layer (EIL), and the cathode C can be changed without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present invention is defined not by the detailed description of the present invention but by the appended claims, and all differences within the scope will be construed as being included in the present invention.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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10-2006-0093718 | Sep 2006 | KR | national |
This application makes reference to, incorporates the same herein, and claims all benefits accruing under 35 U.S.C.§119 from an application for ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DISPLAY AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME earlier filed in the Korean Intellectual Property Office on the 26th of September 2006 and there duly assigned Serial No. 10-2006-0093718.