Yenepoya Institute of Technology, Thodar, Moodbidri-574227, Mangalore Taluk.

DISPLAY SYSTEMS
Display System: It is a system through which information is conveyed to people through
visual means.
Photoactive materials: These are materials that interact with the light electromagnetic
field and modify either their own properties or those of the field.
Eg: Photochromic materials, which change colour upon exposure to light.

Electroactive materials: These are materials that interact with an electric field and
modify either their own properties or those of the field.
Eg: When an electric field is applied to a piezoelectric material, leads to a deformation or
change in shape of the material.

PRINCIPLE OF PHOTOACTIVE AND ELECTROACTIVE MATERIALS:

Display system (OLED) consisting of photoactive and electroactive material absorb

light and allows an electron to jump from HOMO of a Donor to LUMO of an Acceptor. This
phenomenon generate and transport charge carriers.

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In an OLED device, the light-emitting layer is excited by the recombination energy of electrons
from the cathode and holes from the anode, and then the light-emitting layer emits light when
returning to the ground state. One of the electrodes consists of transparent material in order to
extract light from the light emitting layer.

OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES: These are the devices that functions as an electrical-to-

optical or optical-to-electrical transducer.

WORKING PRINCIPLE:

If the photon has an energy larger than the energy a gap, the photon will be absorbed by the
semiconductor, exciting an electron from the valence band into the conduction band, where it
is free to move. A free hole is left behind in the valence band. When the excited electron is
returning to valence band, extra photon energy is emitted in the form a light. This principle is
used in Optoelectronic devices.

NANOMATERIALS ( SILICON NANOCRYSTALS) USED IN OPTOELECTRONIC

DEVICE:
Any substance in which at least one dimension is less than 100nm is called nanomaterials.
The properties of nanomaterials are different from bulk materials due to:
1. Quantum Confinement effect

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2. Increased surface area to volume ratio

The improved electronic properties yielded for nanostructured silicon in comparison to its
bulk, which led the use of Silicon Nanocrystals in electronics and optoelectronics fields.
Special properties of Silicon Nanocrystals for optoelectronics
1. Silicon Nano crystal has wider bandgap energy due to quantum confinement.
2. Si NCs shows higher light emission property (Photoluminescence)
3. Si NCs exhibit quantum yield of more than 60%.
4. Si-NCs exhibit tunable electronic structure.
5. Larger surface area-volume ratio.
ORGANIC MATERIALS USED IN OPTOELECTRONIC DEVICES:
1) LIGHT ABSORBING MATERIALS: EG: POLYTHIOPHENES (P3HT)

PROPERTIES:
1) Polythiophenes are an important class of conjugated polymers, environmentally and
thermally stable material.
2) Chemical structure of P3HT Poly(3-hexylthiophene) is a polymer with chemical formula
(C10H14S) n.
3) It is a polythiophene with a short alkyl group on each repeat unit.

4) P3HT is a semiconducting polymer with high stability and exhibits conductivity due
to holes therefore considered as p-type semiconductor.
5) Poly-3-hexylthiophene (P3HT) have great capability as light-absorbing materials in
organic electronic devices.
6) P3HT has a crystalline structure and good charge-transport properties required
for Optoelectronics.
7) P3HT has a direct-allowed optical transition with a fundamental energy gap of
2.14 eV.
8) Fundamental bandgap of P3HT is 490nm visible region, corresponding to π →π*
transition, giving electron-hole pair.
9) P3HT indicate that an increase in the conductivity is associated with an increase
in the degree of Crystallinity.

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2) LIGHT EMITTING MATERIALS: POLY[9-VINYLCARBAZOLE] (PVK)

1) Polyvinylcarbazole (PVK) is produced by radical polymerization from the

monomer N-vinylcarbazole.

2) Poly (N-vinyl carbazole) (PVK) is one of the highly processable polymers.

3) It is a hole conducting material.

4) It is used as an efficient hole transport material to prepare highly efficient and stable planar
heterojunction perovskite solar cells.
5) It is a photoconductive polymer and thus used in organic light-emitting diodes.

6) It has been widely used as an electronic and optical material.

7) The polymer is extremely brittle, but the brittleness can be reduced by

copolymerization with a little isoprene.

8) PVK-Perovskite junction is used in Light-Emitting Diodes with

Enhanced Efficiency and Stability.

LIQUID CRYSTALS
The liquid crystals are a unique state of matter between solid (crystalline)
and liquid (isotropic) phases.

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CLASSIFICATION OF LIQUID CRYSTALS

A. Thermotropic liquid crystals
B. Lyotropic liquid crystals
A. Thermotropic liquid crystal

A liquid crystal is said to be thermotropic if molecules orientation is dependent on the

temperature. By increasing the temperature, the increase in energy and thereby movement of
constituent molecules, will induce phase changes.

Thermotropic liquid crystals have been classified into the following types:
1) Nematic liquid crystals
2) Smectic liquid crystals
3) Cholesteric liquid crystals

1. Nematic (or thread-like liquid crystals)

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a) The molecules move either sideways or up and down. Each molecule can also twist or rotate
around its axis giving rise to a twisted nematic.
b) Since the molecules are oriented in one direction, they exhibit anisotropy.
c) In this case, the molecules are readily aligned in the same direction in the presence of electric
and magnetic fields.
d) The alignment of molecules is temperature sensitive – as the temperature is increased, the
degree of orientation of the nematic crystals decreases and they change into isotropic liquids.
Examples: p-azoxyphenetole, anisaldazine.

2. Smectic (or soap-like liquid crystals)

a) The molecules in smectic crystals are oriented parallel to each other as in the nematic
phase but in layers.
b) These layers can slide pass each other because the force between the layers is weak.

c) They have high viscosity and are not suitable for devices.

Some common types of smectic liquid crystals are given below.

(i) Smectic A In smectic A, the molecules are aligned perpendicular to the layer planes.
(ii) Smectic C The arrangement of molecules is similar to smectic A except that the
molecules are slightly tilted.

3. Cholesteric liquid crystals

a) Like the nematic phase, the molecules in this type of crystal are also parallel to each other
but arranged in layers.
b) The molecules in successive layers are slightly twisted or rotated with respect to the layers
above and below so as to form a continuous helical or spiral pattern.
Eg: Cholesteryl benzoate with transition temperature is 146 °C and melting point is 178.5 °C.

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B. Lyotropic liquid crystals

1) The orientational behaviour of lyotropic crystals is a function of concentration and solvent.
2) These molecules are amphiphilic.

3) The hydrophilic end is attracted towards water, whereas the hydrophobic end is water repellent
and attracted towards non-polar solvents.
4) At low concentrations, these molecules are randomly oriented but as the concentration increases,
the molecules start arranging themselves.
Eg: Cell membranes and cell walls are examples of lyotropic liquid crystals.

Soaps and detergents form lyotropic crystals when they combine with water.

PROPERTIES OF LIQUID CRYSTALS

1. They exhibit optical anisotropy which is defined as the difference between refractive index
parallel to the director and refractive index perpendicular to the director. These two properties are
important for the electro-optic effects in liquid crystals.
2. The intermolecular forces are rather weak and can be perturbed by an applied electric field.
3. Because the molecules are polar, they interact with an electric field, which causes them to change
their orientation slightly.
4. Liquid Crystal can flow like a liquid, due to loss of positional order.
5. Liquid crystal is optically birefringent, due to its orientation order.

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6. Liquid crystals, like all other kinds of matter, exhibits thermal expansion.

APPLICATION IN LIQUID CRYSTAL DISPLAYS (LCD’S):

A liquid crystal display (LCD) is a flat panel display technology that uses liquid crystals to
produce images. The light is passed or blocked by changing the polarization.

1. The working principle of an LCD is based on the optical properties of liquid crystals.
2. An LCD consists of a layer of liquid crystal material sandwiched between two transparent
electrodes.

3. The molecules adjacent to the glass will align to the polarizer, resulting in a helical
structure between the two glass plates.

4. As light strikes the first plate, it gets polarized.

5. The molecules in each layer then guide the light through the display, changing the angle of
polarization.

6. When light reaches the final layer of the crystal material its plane of polarization
will have rotated 90 degrees, and now matches the plane of the top polarizing film
hence comes out through it appearing bright.

7. When electric field is applied across the plates, the liquid crystal molecules untwist
and loose their property of rotating the light.

8. Hence the plane of the light no longer matches the angle of the top polarizable
plate. Consequently, no light can pass through that area of the LCD, which makes that
area look dark.

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In the segment arrangement, the conducting segment looks dark and the other segment looks
clear. To display number 2, the segments A,B,G,E,D are energized.

ORGANIC LIGHT EMITTING DIODES (OLED’S):

“OLEDs are thin film devices consisting of a stack of organic layers sandwiched
between two electrodes. OLEDs operate by converting electrical current into light via an
organic emitter”.

PROPERTIES OF OLED:

1.Thinness and flexibility: OLEDs are very thin and flexible, which makes them suitable for use in
curved or flexible displays.
2. Fast response time: OLEDs have a fast response time, which means that they can switch on and
off quickly, resulting in smooth and seamless motion in video content.
3. Energy efficiency: OLEDs are energy efficient, as they do not require a backlight like traditional
LCD displays, resulting in lower power consumption.

4. Self-emissive: OLEDs are self-emissive, which means that they do not require a separate light
source, resulting in a thinner display.
Applications
1. Televisions and displays: OLED displays are used in televisions, monitors, smartphones, and
other electronic devices.

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2. Lighting: OLEDs can also be used as a source of lighting in various applications, including
automotive lighting, street lighting, and architectural lighting.
3. Wearable devices: The thin and flexible nature of OLEDs makes them suitable for use in
wearable devices, such as smartwatches and fitness trackers.
4. Automotive: OLEDs can be used in automotive applications, such as dashboard displays,
interior lighting, and taillights.

QUANTUM LIGHT EMITTING DIODES (QLED’S)

Quantum dot light emitting diodes are a form of light emitting technology and consist of nano-scale
crystals that can provide an alternative for applications such as display technology

PROPERTIES OF QLED
 Energy-efficient: QLEDs are more energy-efficient than traditional LCD displays because they
do not require as much backlighting.
 High contrast: QLED displays have high contrast ratios, which means that the difference
between the darkest and brightest areas of the display is greater, resulting in more detailed and
lifelike images.
 Long lifespan: QLEDs have a longer lifespan than traditional LCD displays because they do not
suffer from the same issues of backlight burnout or color fading over time.
 Fast response times: QLED displays have fast response times, which means that they can display
fast-moving images without motion blur or ghosting.

APPLICATIONS OF QLED
 Televisions and displays: QLED displays are commonly used in televisions, monitors,
smartphones, and other electronic devices. They offer superior image quality and color accuracy
compared to traditional LCD displays.
 Lighting: QLEDs can also be used as a source of lighting in various applications, including
automotive lighting, street lighting, and architectural lighting. They offer energy-efficient and
highly customizable lighting options.
 Medical imaging: QLEDs can be used in medical imaging applications, such as in MRI
machines, to produce high-resolution and accurate images.
 Advertising displays: QLED displays can be used in advertising displays, such as digital
billboards and signage, to produce high-quality and eye-catching visuals.

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Light-emitting electrochemical cells (LECs): These are solid-state lighting devices that
convert electric current to light within electroluminescent organic semiconductors.

Working:

1) The active layer of LECs comprises of electroactive compounds and mobile ions
that are sandwiched between cathode and anode.
2) When dc current is passed, mobile ions in the active layer drift toward the
respective electrodes, and an injection of electrons and holes takes place at the
electrode interface.
3) Injected charge carriers attract mobile ions through electrostatic force of attraction.
4) The charges on injected charge carriers are compensated by charges on mobile
ions.
5) It results in the formation of n- and p-type doped regions at the respective
electrodes.
6) These regions extend towards each other and meet at the p-n junction.
7) At the p-n junction, the electrons and holes recombine to form excitons.
8) The excitons subsequently decay to emit photons, resulting in electroluminescence
emission.

Advantages:

LECs are best known for their simple architecture and easy, low-cost fabrication.

Active layer of LECs contains ionic species that can be processed using solution
techniques like spin coating, inkjet printing and slot-die coating, rendering the fabrication
process cost-effective.

LEC devices can be operated at low voltages with high efficiencies.

LECs do not rely on the work function of electrodes owing to the presence of mobile ions
that enable the use of air stable cathodes and avoid the rigorous encapsulation of air sensitive
injection layers. Therefore, these devices can be operated at low voltages.

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Question Bank
L 1 Questions

1) What are memory devices?

2) What are photoactive materials?
3) What are electroactive materials?
4) What are nanomaterials?
5) What are liquid crystals?
6) What are OLEDs?
7) What are QLEDs?
8) What is a light emitting electrochemical cell?
L 2 Questions
9) Write a note on basic concepts of electronic memory.
10) Write a note on history of organic/polymer memory materials (devices).
11) Explain the Classification of electronic memory devices with examples.
12) Explain the types of organic memory materials (devices) by taking p type and n-type
semiconductor materials.
13) Explain working principle of photoactive and electroactive materials in display
system.
14) Write a note nanomaterial (silicon nanocrystals) suitable for optoelectronic devices.
15) Write a note organic material suitable for optoelectronic devices.
16) Write a note light absorbing organic materials (polythiophene-P3HT) suitable for
optoelectronic devices.
17) Explain any four properties of Polythiophenes (P3HT) suitable for optoelectronic devices.
18) Write a note light emitting organic materials (PVK) suitable for optoelectronic devices.
19) Discuss the classification of LCs.
20) Discuss the properties of LCs.
21) Discuss the application of LC in display systems.
22) Explain the classification of liquid crystals with suitable examples. Mention their
applications.
23) Mention any four properties and applications of LC displays.
24) Mention any four properties and applications of OLED.
25) Mention any four properties and applications of QLED.
26) Write a note on light emitting electrochemical cells.

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