In a typical light emitting diode (QD-LED), with ZnO nanoparticles (NPs) serving as the electron transport layer (ETL) material, excessive electron injection driven by the matching conduction band maximum (CBM) between the QD and this oxide layer usually causes charge imbalance and degrades the device performance. To address this issue, the electronic structure of ZnO NPs is modified by the yttrium (Y) doping method. We demonstrate that the CBM of ZnO NPs has a strong dependence on the Y-doping concentration, which can be tuned from 3.55 to 2.77 eV as the Y doping content increases from 0% to 9.6%. This CBM variation generates an enlarged barrier between the cathode and this ZnO ETL benefits from the modulation of electron injection. By optimizing electron injection with the use of a low Y-doped (2%) ZnO to achieve charge balance in the QD-LED, device performance is significantly improved with maximum luminance, peak current efficiency, and maximal external quantum efficiency increase from 4918 cd/m2, 11.3 cd/A, and 4.5% to 11,171 cd/m2, 18.3 cd/A, and 7.3%, respectively. This facile strategy based on the ETL modification enriches the methodology of promoting QD-LED performance.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.