SBIR Phase II: High Light-Throughput Electrodes for Top-Emitting and Transparent OLED Displays

The broader/commercial impact of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project improves the efficiency of Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) displays found in a wide range of devices including smartwatches, phones, tablets, and (increasingly) monitors. The developed technology can allow top-emitting OLED monitors, tablets, and phones to save in overall energy usage. This manifests in terms of longer battery life while lower driving power extends lifetime and allows cooler operation. The improved performance of OLED also allows these displays to be considered in applications normally restricted to alternative display technologies. This improved performance is accomplished via a new method of generating transparent electrodes that make it possible to extract light more efficiently from the devices. This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project address an ongoing concern in Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) manufacturing, namely the efficiency limitations that stem from limited electrode transparency. The materials developed by this project provide efficiency gains by generating a thin metal electrode that is both transparent and conductive. Normally, reducing the thickness of the electrode improves transparency, but severely diminishes conductivity. This approach utilized here allows the metal to form a more uniform (continuous) layer by reducing self-aggregation of the metal, allowing the metal to retain high conductivity at a much lower thickness. This is enabled by the project’s technology which causes the metal to wet the surface more effectively via high affinity interactions with the metal. Demonstrations of the technology across a sampling of OLED materials stacks supports application of the process to a range of device architectures. Stability validations that meet demanding production conditions will confirm compatibility with industry tools and processes. Materials development to meet a greater range of electrode materials illustrates viability of the technology across a greater range of manufacturers and production lines. The end result is a drop-in material that can be readily adopted by OLED display manufacturers. This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.