MgO nano-facet embedded silver-based dielectric/metal/dielectric transparent electrode

Opt Express. 2012 Jan 16;20(2):845-53. doi: 10.1364/OE.20.000845.

Abstract

We replace Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) with an MgO nano-facet Embedded WO(3)/Ag/WO(3)(WAW) multilayer for electrodes of high efficiency OLEDs. WAW shows higher values for transmittance (93%) and conductivity (1.3×10(5) S/cm) than those of ITO. Moreover, WAW shows higher transmittance (92.5%) than that of ITO (86.4%) in the blue region (<500 nm). However, due to the large difference in refractive indices (n) of glass (n=1.55) and WO(3) (n=1.95), the incident light has a small critical angle (52°). Thus, the generated light is confined by the glass/WAW interface, resulting in low light outcoupling efficiency (~20%). This can be enhanced by using a nano-facet structured MgO (n=1.73) layer and a ZrO(2) (n=1.84) layer as a graded index layer. Using these optimized electrodes, ITO-free, OLEDs with various emission wavelengths have been produced. The luminance of OLEDs using MgO/ZrO(2)/WAW layers is enhanced by 24% compared to that of devices with ITO.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Electric Conductivity
  • Electrodes*
  • Glass / chemistry
  • Magnesium Oxide / chemistry*
  • Nanotechnology / instrumentation
  • Nanotechnology / methods*
  • Optical Devices*
  • Oxides / chemistry
  • Refractometry / instrumentation
  • Refractometry / methods*
  • Silver / chemistry*
  • Tungsten / chemistry
  • Zirconium / chemistry

Substances

  • Oxides
  • Magnesium Oxide
  • Silver
  • tungsten oxide
  • Zirconium
  • zirconium oxide
  • Tungsten