55
New,
Stable Cathode Materials for Organic Light Emitting Devices (OLEDs)--International
Technology Exchange, Inc., 7080 N Cathedral Rock Place, Tucson, AZ
85718; 520-299-9533, www.intexworld.com
Dr.
Terje Skotheim, Principal Investigator,
Dr.
Terje Skotheim, Business Official,
DOE
Grant No. DE-FG02-03ER83687
Many
of the cathode materials currently in use in OLEDs are metals, such as Mg and Ca
and alloys. In many cases, the
migration of these metals to form rough interfaces and hot-spots has lead to
reduced lifetimes of the devices. There
is a need to develop highly stable cathode materials that have low work
function, can be nondestructively coated over large areas as flexible thin films
on the organic emitting materials, and possess hermetic sealing properties to
promote long device life. This
project will develop a new class of cathode materials that have low work
function and are highly stable. This
class of materials, which can be coated on organic materials as thin films, will
allow work function modification, and will be highly dense to resist the
penetration of both oxygen and water. In
Phase I, the deposition conditions for producing these conducting,
low-work-function films will be determined. Subsequently,
thin films will be deposited on OLED devices and their effectiveness as cathodes
compared with conventional cathode materials.
Commercial Applications and Other
Benefits
as described by awardee: These
cathode materials should become an important enabling technology to realize the
potential of OLEDs on flexible polymeric substrates. Applications
include both illuminated displays and lighting applications.