Green OLED Delayed Fluorescence Microcavity Voltage Reduction

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative Solutions
Generate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Organic electroluminescent (EL) devices using phosphorescent light emitting materials face challenges in maintaining low driving voltage and high color purity due to the expansion of the host material's band gap, requiring redesign of layer constitution and selection of optimal materials for adjacent layers.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating a thermal excitation-type delayed fluorescent material in the emission layer of green organic EL devices with a microcavity and common thickness for hole transport layers across green and blue devices, which narrows the emission spectral bandwidth and reduces the driving voltage, while allowing for increased emission layer thickness without significant voltage increase.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Loss of energy

If phosphorescent light emitting material is used in the emission layer, then internal quantum efficiency can reach 100%, but the host material's band gap expands causing high driving voltage

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinternal quantum efficiencyVSAvoiddriving voltage
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the emission mechanism from phosphorescence to delayed fluorescence, altering the physical parameters of the emission layer. This parameter change allows the system to achieve high internal quantum efficiency without the band gap expansion problem that occurs with phosphorescent materials, thereby maintaining low driving voltage.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent uses a fluorescent material with a short-lived excited state that undergoes thermal excitation to produce delayed fluorescence. This approach replaces the need for expensive rare-earth phosphorescent materials and their associated complex host material requirements, achieving similar efficiency benefits without the voltage penalty.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

2Loss of energy

If phosphorescent light emitting material is used in the emission layer, then internal quantum efficiency can reach 100%, but color purity deteriorates due to expanded band gap

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveinternal quantum efficiencyVSAvoidcolor purity
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

By changing from phosphorescent to delayed fluorescent emission mechanism, the patent alters the energy level structure and emission characteristics. This parameter change enables maintenance of narrow emission bandwidth (high color purity) while achieving high internal quantum efficiency through the delayed fluorescence process.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

3Loss of energy

If emission layer thickness is increased to improve light extraction, then light extraction efficiency improves, but driving voltage increases significantly

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvelight extraction efficiencyVSAvoiddriving voltage
Core Design Contradiction:
Loss of energyVSUse of energy by moving object

Solution Approach 1:

The patent employs delayed fluorescent materials with short-lived excited states that enable efficient carrier recombination and light emission. This allows the emission layer to be made thicker for improved light extraction without the proportional increase in driving voltage that would normally occur, because the delayed fluorescence mechanism maintains efficient recombination over the thicker distance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #27Cheap short-living objects (Disposable)

4Reliability

If different hole transport layers are used for green and blue devices to optimize performance, then device performance improves, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedevice performanceVSAvoidlayer constitution complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent uses the same hole transport layer material for both green and blue organic EL devices. This universal approach simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces device complexity while maintaining optimized performance for both device types, demonstrating that a single material can serve multiple functions across different device configurations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #6Universality (Multi-functionality)

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

The solution enables low-power operation with high color purity and improved light extraction efficiency, simplifying the production process by allowing common hole transport layers for blue and green devices, and reducing the driving voltage even with thicker emission layers.

Implementation Method 1

the emission layer of each of the green organic electroluminescent devices has a thermal excitation-type delayed fluorescent material

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectThermal excitation: Thermal Energy Storage

Implementation Method 2

a delayed fluorescent material is used in an organic EL device

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectDelayed fluorescence: Fluorescence

Implementation Method 3

each of the green organic electroluminescent devices has a microcavity between the pair of electrodes

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectMicrocavity resonance: Resonance

Implementation Method 4

the emission spectral bandwidth of light emitted from the thermal excitation-type delayed fluorescent material is narrowed

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectOptical interference: Interference

Data Source

PatentEP2175505B1Organic electroluminescent display apparatus
Publication Date: 2013.12.11 CANON KK
  • EP2175505B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2175505B1 patent drawingFigure 3
  • EP2175505B1 patent drawing

AI summary

An organic electroluminescent display apparatus having organic electroluminescent devices each of which is excellent in color reproducibility and has high emission efficiency in which green organic electroluminescent devices each have a delayed fluorescent material and a microcavity, and the hole transport layer of each of the devices has the same thickness as that of the hole transport layer of each of blue organic electroluminescent devices.