Opto-electrical devices incorporating metal nanowires
The present disclosure relates to OLED and PV devices including transparent electrodes that are formed of conductive nanostructures and methods of improving light out-coupling in OLED and input-coupling in PV devices.
1. An organic light-emitting diode (OLED) comprising:
a transparent substrate;
a nanostructure layer disposed on the transparent substrate, wherein the nanostructure layer comprises a plurality of metal nanostructures embedded in a matrix, and wherein the nanostructure layer is transparent;
an intermediate conductive layer disposed on the nanostructure layer;
an organic stack disposed on the intermediate conductive layer, the organic stack comprising an organic light-emitting material, a charge injection layer and a hole injection layer; and
an electrode disposed on the organic stack.
2. The OLED of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate conductive layer is an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer, a conductive polymer layer, a layer of evenly distributed nanoparticles, or a layer of evenly distributed nanowires.
3. The OLED of claim 1 , wherein the intermediate conductive layer is a continuous ITO layer or a continuous conductive polymer.
4. The OLED of claim 1 , further comprising an anti-reflective layer disposed between the nanostructure layer and the transparent substrate.
5. The OLED of claim 4 , wherein the transparent substrate has a first refractive index, the organic stack has a second refractive index, and the anti-reflective layer has a third refractive index, and wherein the third refractive index is larger than the first refractive index and less than the second refractive index.
6. The OLED of claim 4 , wherein the anti-reflective layer has an index of reflection in a range of 1.5-1.8.
7. The OLED of claim 4 , wherein the anti-reflective layer has an index of reflection in a range of 1.6-1.65.
8. The OLED of claim 4 , wherein the anti-reflective layer has an index of reflection in a range of 1.75-1.8.
9. The OLED of claim 4 , wherein the anti-reflective layer is a polyimide layer.
10. The OLED of claim 1 , wherein the nanostructure layer is an anode and the electrode is a cathode.
11. The OLED of claim 1 , wherein the transparent substrate is glass.
12. The OLED of claim 4 , wherein the anti-reflective layer further comprises a plurality of light-scattering particles.
13. The OLED of claim 12 , wherein the light-scattering particles are SiO x , AlO x , InO x , SnO x , ZnO x , Al-doped ZnO x (AZO), indium tin oxide (ITO), Sb-doped SnO x (ATO), TiO x , SiC, or fluorine-doped SnO x (FTO).
14. The OLED of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of metal nanostructures are silver nanowires.
15. A top-emitting OLED comprising:
a substrate;
an electrode disposed on the substrate;
an organic stack disposed on the electrode, the organic stack comprising an organic light-emitting material, a charge injection layer and a hole injection layer;
an intermediate conductive layer disposed on the organic stack; and
a nanostructure layer disposed on the intermediate conductive layer, wherein the nanostructure layer comprises a plurality of metal nanostructures embedded in a matrix, and wherein the nanostructure layer is transparent.
16. The top-emitting OLED of claim 15 , wherein the intermediate conductive layer is a continuous indium tin oxide (ITO) layer or a continuous conductive polymer.
17. The top-emitting OLED of claim 15 , wherein the intermediate conductive layer is an ITO layer, a conductive polymer layer, a layer of evenly distributed nanoparticles, or a layer of evenly distributed nanowires.
18. The top-emitting OLED of claim 15 , wherein the intermediate conductive layer ensures that contact between the plurality of metal nanostructures and the organic stack is uniform.
19. The top-emitting OLED of claim 15 , wherein the nanostructure layer is an anode and the electrode is a cathode.
20. The top-emitting OLEO of claim 15 , wherein the plurality of metal nanostructures are silver nanowires.