Investigating electrical aging phenomena in blue organic light emitting devices

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Recent years have witnessed an enormous interest in the emerging technology of organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) for flat panel display applications. Compared to alternative technologies (e.g. liquid crystal displays or plasma displays), OLEDs promise higher efficiency (hence lower power consumption), more vivid emission colors (hence better image quality), and a unique potential for realizing mechanically flexible displays for "foldable", "roll-able", "wearable" and "unbreakable" or ruggedized electronics (hence new products and market opportunities). However, the relatively poor device stability, especially that of blue-emitting OLEDs (which, alongside red and green-emitting OLEDs, are necessary for full color displays) limits wider technology commercialization. Developing more stable blue OLEDs is essential for expanding their range of applications, especially in high value-added products (e.g. laptop displays). However, the realization of more stable blue OLEDs has been hampered by the lack of a clear understanding of the underlying degradation factors. The proposed research aims at identifying and understanding the factors behind the EL degradation in blue OLEDs. The investigation will proceed along three distinct yet complementary thrusts that will provide useful information on different aspects of device EL degradation processes. The thrusts utilize a number of experimental techniques pioneered by the applicant from his previous studies on green OLEDs. The research results will be critical for future development of more stable blue OLEDs, which will be pursued in collaboration with Canadian industrial partners (e.g. Canadian displays companies and others in related sectors). It will, therefore, provide those partners with a competitive edge in an area of high relevance to their core business (flat panel displays industry). The research will also allow training of a new "breed" of Canadian researchers who will acquire expertise in an emerging technology that has the potential to enable new products and market opportunities.