Studies on the long-term degradation of organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) based on tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (AlQ3), the most widely used electroluminescent molecule, reveal that injection of holes in AlQ3 is the main cause of device degradation. The transport of holes into AlQ3 caused a decrease in its fluorescence quantum efficiency, thus showing that cationic AlQ3 species are unstable and that their degradation products are fluorescence quenchers. These findings explain the success of different approaches to stabilizing OLEDs, such as doping of the hole transport layer, introducing a buffer layer at the hole-injecting contact, and using mixed emitting layers of hole and electron transporting molecules.

The intrinsic degradation of tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (AlQ3)-based organic light emitting devices, that leads to the long-term decrease in the electroluminescence efficiency of the devices operated under constant current conditions, is studied. The injection of holes in A1Q3 is found to be the main factor responsible for device degradation. OLEDs with dual HTLs in different arrangements are also presented to demonstrate the proposed degradation mechanism. The role of various approaches to increase OLED lifetime, such as, doping the hole transport layer, introducing a buffer layer at the hole-injecting contact, or using a mixed emitting layer of hole and electron transporting molecules, is explained.

We report electroluminescence degradation studies of tris (8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3) organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) under ambient conditions. Alq3 films and organic bilayer anode/naphthyl-substituted benzidine derivative/Alq3/cathode devices are studied via electroluminescence, photoluminescence, polarization microscopy and atomic force microscopy, and via microscopic infrared spectroscopy. Results reveal that humidity induces the formation of crystalline Alq3 structures in originally amorphous films. The same phenomenon is found to occur in OLEDs and causes cathode delamination at the Alq3/cathode interface that results in the formation of black (nonemissive) spots in the devices.

We report electroluminescence degradation studies on tris(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq3)-based organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) with Mg:Ag cathodes in ambient conditions. The nonemissive spots in the OLEDs are studied via optical and fluorescence microscopy and via microscopic infrared spectroscopy. Studies reveal that a majority of the nonemissive spots are caused by the growth of Mg(OH)2 sites at the Alq3/Mg:Ag interface, associated with local degradation of the Alq3 layer. In addition, the growth of elevated cathode bubbles, which also lead to nonemissive spots, is found to be caused by gas evolution from the galvanic corrosion of the Mg/Ag couple as well as from the electrolysis of absorbed moisture.

X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) has been used to study the electronic structures of indium tin oxide (ITO) surfaces treated by O+, Ar+, and NHx+ plasmas. The XPS data show that there is a significant change in core level energies (In 3d5/2 O 1s, and Sn 3d5/2), in donor concentration (Sn4+), in valence band maximums (VBM), and in work functions on ITO surfaces being treated by O+ and NHx+ plasmas, compared with that of virgin and Ar+ plasma treated surfaces. Based on these experimental data, a surface band-bending theory is proposed. The theory explains that when Fermi energy of the plasma-treated surface is shifted towards the middle of the band gap: core levels will shift their energies to lower binding energies, VBM will bend upward, and work function will increase, as observed.