Layer Thickness-dependent Electrical and Optical Properties of Bottom- and Top-emission Organic Light-emitting Diodes

Abstract

We have studied organic layer-thickness dependent electrical and optical properties of bottom- and top-emission devices. Bottom-emission device was made in a structure of ITO(170 nm)/TPD(x nm)/Alq3(y nm)/LiF(0.5 nm)/Al(100 nm), and a top-emission device in a structure of glass/Al(100 nm)/TPD(x nm)/Alq3(y nm)/LiF(0.5 nm)/Al(25 nm). A hole-transport layer of TPD (N,N'-diphenyl-N,N'-di(m-tolyl)-benzidine) was thermally deposited in a range of 35 nm and 65 nm, and an emissive layer of Alq3 (tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum) was successively deposited in a range of 50 nm and 100 nm. Thickness ratio between the hole-transport layer and the emissive layer was maintained to be 2:3, and a whole layer thickness was made to be in a range of 85 and 165 nm. From the current density-luminance-voltage characteristics of the bottom-emission devices, a proper thickness of the organic layer (55 nm thick TPD and 85 nm thick Alq3 layer) was able to be determined. From the view-angle dependent emission spectrum of the bottom-emission device, the peak wavelength of the spectrum does not shift as the view angle increases. However, for the top-emission device, there is a blue shift in peak wavelength as the view angle increases when the total layer thickness is thicker than 140 nm. This blue shift is thought to be due to a microcavity effect in organic light-emitting diodes.