WFU Physics Colloquium

TITLE: Field Induced Polymer Electroluminescence

SPEAKER: Greg Smith

TIME: Tuesday Aug. 4, 2015 at 9:30 AM

PLACE: Room 107 Olin Physical Laboratory

This work presents a new approach to electroluminescence in organics using a device that employs alternating current (AC) field-induced polymer electroluminescence (FIPEL). This device consists of a transparent conductor, polymer dielectric layers, charge generation layers, a conjugated polymer-based emissive layer, and reflecting electrode. Emphasis is placed on a solution-processed fabrication approach, favoring organic polymers and small molecules. The phenomena of phosphorescence is exploited through the use of a host:guest emissive system to harvest both singlet and triplet excitons. Various polymer dielectric materials are studied to optimize the electric field on the emitting layers. Multiple organic materials are considered as charge generating layers including polymers, molecular dopants, and carbon nanotubes. White-emission is examined in these devices, leading to the discovery of a dye-concentration independence of emission. The optical and electrical characteristics are closely inspected, leading to a model for the operation of asymmetric FIPEL devices. Ultimately, this work leads to a high-performance, efficient FIPEL device that has promising implications in the fields of displays, backlighting, and general illumination.