Christian Maria Anton Heller

Organic light-emitting devices for illumination quality white light

A method of generating white light by combining a blue organic light-emitting diode with a down-conversion phosphor system is presented. It is demonstrated that the use of the down-conversion phosphor system actually leads to an overall power efficiency increase, an effect attributed to the high quantum efficiency of phosphor materials and the presence of light scattering in the phosphor layers. It is also shown that this approach permits the generation of illumination quality white light over the full range of color temperatures required for lighting applications. For the model device demonstrated in this work, an overall electrical to optical power conversion efficiency of 1.3% was achieved at a brightness of 1080 cd/m 2 .

Carbon nanotube p-n junction diodes

We demonstrate a single-walled carbon nanotube p-n junction diode device. The p-n junction is formed along a single nanotube by electrostatic doping using a pair of split gate electrodes. By biasing the two gates accordingly, the device can function either as a diode or as an ambipolar field-effect transistor. The diode current–voltage characteristics show forward conduction and reverse blocking characteristics, i.e., rectification. For low bias conditions, the characteristics follow the ideal diode equation with an ideality factor close to one.

Ultrahigh barrier coating deposition on polycarbonate substrates

The use of polycarbonate film substrates enables fabrication of applications, such as flexible display devices, lighting devices, and other flexible electro-optical devices, using low cost, roll-to-roll fabrication technologies. One of the limitations of bare polycarbonate material in these applications is that oxygen and moisture rapidly diffuse through the material and subsequently degrade the electro-optical devices. This article summarizes recent results obtained at GE Global Research to solve the oxygen and moisture diffusion issue. It will be shown that through the application of thin, dense, plasma-based inorganic coatings one can significantly reduce the oxygen and moisture permeation rate through polycarbonate films. However, as a result of defects that are commonly present in these inorganic coatings there is a limit to the performance of such barrier coatings. To further improve the barrier performance, advanced barrier coatings comprising both inorganic and organic materials have been developed. Both modeling and experimental results will be presented that explain why these hybrid material barrier coatings are capable of reaching ultrahigh barrier performance.

Solution-Processed Organic Light-Emitting Diodes for Lighting

In this paper, the vapor-deposited and solution-processed organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology development paradigms are described and then compared with respect to their prospects for enabling general lighting applications. Two key development needs are improved device efficiency and lower cost fabrication methods. Progress in these areas for solution-processed OLEDs is illustrated by describing recent methods for attaining high efficiency blue emission and introducing novel low cost process methods for device fabrication which enable high performance devices without the need for any vacuum processing steps

A Transparent, High Barrier, and High Heat Substrate for Organic Electronics

The use of plastic film substrates for organic electronic devices promises to enable new applications, such as flexible displays and conformal lighting, and a new low-cost paradigm through high-volume roll-to-roll fabrication. Unfortunately, presently available substrates cannot yet deliver this promise because of the challenge in achieving the required combination of optical transparency, impermeability to water and oxygen, mechanical flexibility, high-temperature capability, and chemical resistance. Here, we describe the development and performance of a plastic substrate comprising a high heat polycarbonate film combined with a unique transparent coating package that is aimed at meeting this challenge.

Fault-tolerant, scalable organic light-emitting device architecture

High performance organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) become problematic as emitting area increases due to the high resistivity of the transparent electrode and the increasing probability of encountering a catastrophic short-circuit defect during fabrication. In this letter, a monolithic series-connected OLED architecture is demonstrated. It is shown that such devices exhibit the same power efficiency as traditional small area OLEDs but are, in addition, relatively insensitive to electrode resistivity and tolerant to normally catastrophic short-circuit defects. This architecture should enable applications such as lighting where scalability to large emitting area without high fabrication cost or design complexity is required.

Efficient bottom cathodes for organic light-emitting devices

Bilayers of aluminum and an alkali fluoride are well-known top cathode contacts for organic light-emitting devices but have never been successfully applied as bottom contacts. We describe a bilayer bottom cathode contact for organic electronic devices based on reversing the well-known top cathode structure such that the aluminum, rather than the alkali fluoride, contacts the organic material. Electron-only devices were fabricated showing enhanced electron injection from this bottom contact. Kelvin probe, x-ray photoelectron spectroscopy experiments, and thermodynamic calculations suggest that the enhancement results from n doping of the organic material by dissociated alkali metals.

OLEDs for lighting: new approaches

OLED technology has improved to the point where it is now possible to envision developing OLEDs as a low cost solid state light source. In order to realize this, significant advances have to be made in device efficiency, lifetime at high brightness, high throughput fabrication, and the generation of illumination quality white light. In this talk, the requirements for general lighting will be reviewed and various approaches to meeting them will be outlined. Emphasis will be placed on a new monolithic series-connected OLED design architecture that promises scalability without high fabrication cost or design complexity.

Illumination-quality OLEDs for lighting

OLED technology has improved to the point where it is now possible to envision developing OLEDs as a low cost solid state light source. In order to realize this, significant advances have to be made in device efficiency, lifetime at high brightness, high throughput fabrication, and the generation of illumination quality white light. In this talk, a down conversion method of generating white light is demonstrated and shown to be capable of generating illumination quality white light over the full range of color temperatures required for lighting. It is also demonstrated that, due to the presence of light scattering, the down-conversion method can actually increase the overall device power efficiency.

Copolymers derived from phenol functional telechelic oligofluorenes

A series of phenol-capped, oligofluorenes having 2,3,5 and 7 fluorene units and a statistical oligomer with an average of about 10 fluorene units was prepared. In a similar fashion, phenol-capped oligomers having various charge-transporting moieties incorporated into the oligomeric structures were prepared. Polymers were prepared from the oligomers by various linking reactions involving the phenol groups. Trends in the optical and electrical properties as a function of oligomer length will be reported. Device data for this family of emissive copolymers indicates that charge mobility increases with conjugation length, and can be as good as or better than that of an analogous fluorene homopolymer.