Heterostructure devices using cross-linkable polymers
View Patent ↗What is disclosed is an organic electronic device which has at least one hetero-structure of film layers. The layers can be cross-linked and stacked one upon another to add a plurality of different functions and optimizations to the device, particularly in organic light emitting diodes.
1. An organic electronic device, comprising:
a deposition surface having at least one deposition region defined thereon;
a plurality of organic layers, wherein each said organic layer is in said deposition region on said deposition surface and a first portion of at least one of said organic layers is cross-linked so that the first portion is insoluble in an organic solution, and the first portion includes one of a silane, a di-aromatic bromide, a photo-acid, a multivalent cation, or an acidic group as a cross-linking material, wherein
the plurality of organic layers includes a hole transport layer, an emissive layer on the hole transport layer, an electron transport layer on the emissive layer and an electron injection layer on the electron transport layer; and
one of the emissive layer or the electron transport layers is cross-linked.
2. A device according to claim 1 wherein one of said plurality of organic layers is a first organic layer and one is a second organic layer, the first organic layer being closer to the deposition surface than the second organic layer and the first organic layer being the cross-linked organic layer.
3. A device according to claim 1 wherein at least one layer of said plurality of organic layers is capable of performing at least one of a hole blocking function, an electron blocking function, an optical confinement/wave-guiding function, an electron injection function, a hole injection function or an absorption function.
4. A device according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the organic layers is formed from an organic solution that includes cross-linking groups.
5. A device according to claim 1 wherein at least one of the organic layers is formed from an organic solution that includes an initiating agent.
6. A device according to claim 1 wherein said organic electronic device is an OLED device.
7. A device according to claim 6 wherein said deposition surface is a lower electrode layer.
8. A device according to claim 7 wherein said emissive layer is capable of emitting light upon charge recombination.
9. A device according to claim 8 further comprising a cathode layer disposed over said plurality of organic layers.
10. A device according to claim 1 wherein said hole transport layer is fabricated from a PEDOT:PSS solution including constituents capable of cross-linking.
11. A device according to claim 1 wherein said device behaves as an organic transistor.
12. A device according to claim 1 wherein said device behaves as an organic opto-electronic device.
13. A device according to claim 1 wherein said plurality of organic layers includes at least a first layer and a second layer and the first layer includes a different material from the second layer.
14. A device according to claim 1 wherein said hole transport layer is configured to perform an electron blocking function.
15. A device according to claim 1 wherein said hole transport layer is configured to perform a wave-guiding function.
16. A device according to claim 3 wherein a single organic layer of the plurality of organic layers performs said electron transport and hole blocking functions.
17. A device according to claim 3 wherein said electron transport function is performed in an organic layer of said plurality of organic layers.
18. A device according to claim 3 wherein said wave-guiding function is performed in an organic layer of said plurality of organic layers.
19. A device according to claim 3 wherein said electron injection function is performed in an organic layer of said plurality of organic layers.
20. The device of claim 1 , wherein the deposition surface includes an electrode.
21. An organic electronic device, comprising:
a deposition surface; and
a plurality of organic layers, wherein a first portion of said organic layers is cross-linked to render said first portion of said organic layers insoluble;
wherein at least one cross-linking agent in the first portion adds functionality to the first portion that the first portion does not have without the cross-linking agent and the cross-linking agent adds the functionality in addition to cross-linking the first portion and the functionality added by the cross-linking agent is one of hole transport, electron transport, electron injection, hole blocking, optical confinement or waveguiding.
22. The device of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the first or second organic layers is an emitting layer or contains a light-responsive material.
23. The device of claim 21 , wherein said plurality of organic layers includes at least a first organic layer and a second organic layer, the first organic layer being closer to the deposition surface than the second organic layer and the first organic layer being a cross-linked organic layer.
24. The device of claim 23 , wherein said plurality of organic layers includes a hole transport layer.
25. The device of claim 24 , wherein said hole transport layer is fabricated from a PEDOT:PSS solution including constituents capable of cross-linking.
26. The device of claim 24 , wherein said hole transport layer is configured to perform an electron blocking function.
27. The device of claim 24 , wherein said hole transport layer is configured to perform a wave-guiding function.
28. The device of claim 24 , wherein at least one layer of said plurality of organic layers is capable of performing at least one of a hole blocking function, an electron blocking function, an electron transport function, a hole transport function, an optical confinement/wave-guiding function, an electron injection function, a hole injection function, an emission function, an absorption function, or a chemical, physical or photophysical sensor function.
29. The device of claim 28 , wherein said wave-guiding function is performed in an organic layer of said plurality of organic layers.
30. The device of claim 28 , wherein said electron injection function is performed in an organic layer of said plurality of organic layers.
31. The device of claim 28 , wherein a single organic layer of the plurality of organic layers performs said electron transport and hole blocking functions.
32. The device of claim 28 , wherein said electron transport function is performed in an organic layer of said plurality of organic layers.
33. The device of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the organic layers is formed from an organic solution that includes cross-linking groups.
34. The device of claim 21 , wherein at least one of the organic layers is formed from an organic solution that includes an initiating agent.
35. The device of claim 21 , wherein said organic electronic device is an OLED device.
36. The device of claim 35 , wherein said deposition surface is a lower electrode layer.
37. The device of claim 36 , wherein at least one of said plurality of organic layers is an emissive layer, said emissive layer capable of emitting light upon charge recombination.
38. The device of claim 37 , further comprising a cathode layer disposed over said plurality of organic layers.
39. The device of claim 21 , wherein said device behaves as an organic transistor.
40. The device of claim 21 , wherein said device behaves as an organic opto-electronic device.
41. The device of claim 21 , wherein said plurality of organic layers includes at least a first layer and a second layer and the first layer includes a different material from the second layer.
42. The device of claim 21 , wherein the deposition surface includes an electrode.
43. The device of claim 21 , wherein:
the plurality of organic layers includes a hole transport layer, an emissive layer on the hole transport layer, an electron transport layer on the emissive layer and an electron injection layer on the electron transport layer; and
one of the emissive layer or the electron transport layers is cross-linked.