Material and Device Designs for Practical Organic Lighting

Investigating Organization
Los Alamos National Laboratory

Principal Investigator(s)
Mr. Darryl Smith

Subcontractor
None

Funding Source
Building Technologies Program/NETL

Award
DOE Share: $2,018,369

Contract Period
09/15/04 - 09/30/07

This project will combine theoretical and experimental approaches to methodically address key material challenges for OLED use in general illumination applications. The project will systematically advance the physical and chemical understanding of how materials-related phenomena can be altered to make very high efficiency, low voltage, stable, inexpensive, and reliable devices. The fundamental knowledge gained from this work will contribute to product development.

To establish high efficiency, low-voltage, stable materials for practical, organic light emitting diode based general illumination applications, it is necessary to simultaneously ensure that: essentially all electrons and holes injected into the structure form excitons; the excitons recombine radiatively with high probability; the minimum drive voltage is required to establish a given current density in the device; and the material and device are stable under continuous operation. We will apply a tightly knit theory/fabrication/ measurement approach to understand and optimize four essential material and device elements necessary for satisfying these requirements: 1) charge injection, 2) carrier mobility, 3) organic/organic heterojunctions, and 4) exciton processes. Because of the many material and device options available, we will develop general methods of achieving the device requirements in these four areas.

Content dated 2/08