Multilayer white organic light emitting diode with

optimum emitting layer sequence

Heume-II Baek, Hyunduck Cho and Changhee Lee

School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and Inter-University Semiconductor Research Center; Seoul National University,
San 56-1, Shillim-dong, Gwanak-gu, Seoul 151-744, Korea
hibaek75(:@,snu.ac.kr

Abstract: Yellow organic light emitting diode (OLED) with Red/Green emitting layer (EML) sequence
showed higher efficiency than device with Green/Red EML sequence because of the electrical carrier
conduction difference in EMLs. Based on this result white OLED with additional blue emitter was
demonstrated with maximum efficiency of 18.3 cd/A at 100 cd/m2 and good color stability.

1. Introduction
Recently, researches about white OLEDs which utilized both phosphorescent and fluorescent dopant were
reported and they showed very high efficiency [12]. In such multi-layer white OLEDs, achieving charge balance
became more difficult than in single-layer OLEDs because each EML with different dopant caused electrical
conduction difference even when same host material is used [35]tI was already reported that phosphorescent red
dopant bis(2-(2'-benzo[4,5-a]thienyl) pyridinato-N,C3')iridium(acetylacetonate) (btp21r(acac)) doped CBP layer
showed at least 2 orders of magnitude lower electron mobility than phosphorescent green dopant fac-tris(2-
phenylpyridine)iridium (Ir(ppy)3) doped CBP layer [3 4]. We showed how this conduction difference turned out as
device characteristics differences in OLEDs with double EML according to the RML sequence. Additionally, an
white OLED with additional blue fluorescent emitter, 4,4'-bis[2-14-(N,N-diphenylamino)phenyl}vinyl] biphenyl
(DPAVBi) was demonstrated based on double EML experiment results.

2. Results and discussion

Devices were prepared by thermal evaporation on the cleaned Indium-Tin-Oxide (ITO) substrate under the base
pressure of 5x 10-6 Torr without breaking the vacuum. The structure of OLEDs is ITO anode/PEDOT:PSS hole
injection layer (HIL, 40 nm)/4,4'-bis[N-(1-naphthyl)-N-phenyl-amino]biphenyl (oc-NPD, 50 nm) hole transport
layer (HTL)/EML/2,9-dimethyl-4, 7 diphenyl-1, 10-phenanthroline (BCP, 10 nm) hole blocking layer (HBL),
tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)-aluminum (Alq3, 40 nm) ETL and LiF(0.5 nm)/Al(100 nm) cathode.
Figure 1 shows the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of OLEDs with double EML where 15 nm 6 00O
btp2lr(acac) and Ir(ppy)3 doped CBP layer were used as red and green EML, respectively. D-2 (RIG) showed
higher EQE than D- 1 (G/R) over all current density range.
 10 1.0 0.55

0 D-l(Green / Red) 0.50

8 E D-2(Red /Green) - 0.8 |045
tPC,_ .: : ~~~~
\ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~0.40
0400.25 0.30 0.35 0.40
0.6\ CIE x
006oo0

4CY N 0.4

2 2 0.2 -

II \0 I
1 10 100 400 500 600 700 800
Current Density (mA/cm2) Wavelength (nm)
Fig. 1 EQE of OLEDs with double EML Fig. 2 spectrum and color coordinates of white OLED
The main recombination zone in this device structure would be formed at EML/HBL interface and this could be
confirmed from the electroluminescence spectrum as current density changes (not shown here). Therefore, the
origin of lower maximum EQE of D-1 could be attributed to that more efficient green EML (100%
photoluminescence efficiency was reported) is not positioned at the main recombination zone and the insufficient
electron flux to the green EML due to lower electron mobility of red EML.
From the above results we decided to use Red/Green EML sequence for white OLED. DPAVBi doped CBP layer
was used for the blue EML and positioned at right before the HBL, where the main recombination zone is
expected to be formed, to get a relatively balanced blue emission to the green and red emission. CBP:btp21r(acac)
(8%, 10 nm) / CBP:Ir(ppy)3 (6%, 5 nm) / CBP (5 nm) / CBP:DPAVBi (4%, 10 nm) sequence was used as an
EML where non-doped CBP layer is inserted to prevent triplet exciton of Ir(ppy)3 from being quenched by the
non-emissive triplet exciton of the DPAVBi [2]. Figure 2 shows the electroluminescence spectrum of white OLED
at 5 mA/cm2 which is correspondent to (0.317, 0.463) CIE-xy color coordinate. Reasonable maximum efficiency
of 18.3 cd/A (8.5 % EQE) at 100 cd/M2 was acquired and there was virtually no color shift in 5 -100 mA/cm2
driving current density range.

3. Conclusions
We demonstrated white OLED with high efficiency and good color stability by properly selecting the sequence
of the primary color EML based on the characteristics of OLEDs with double EML. All properties could be
understood by the carrier conduction property difference of phosphorescent dopant doped green and red EMLs.

4. References
[1] Y. Sun, N. C. Giebink, H. Kanno, B. Ma, M. E. Thompson, and S. R. Forrest, Nature, 440, 908 (2006).
[2] G. Schwartz, K. Fehse, M. Pfeiffer, K. Waizer, and K. Leo, Appi. Phys. Lett., 89, 083509 (2006).

[3] N. Matsusue, S. Ikame, Y. Suzuki, and H. Naito, Appi. Phys. Lett., 85, 4046 (2004).
[4] N. Matsusue, Y. Suzuki, and H. Naito, Jpn. J. Appi. Phys., 45, 5966 (2006).