STTR Phase I: Robust Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLED) Displays using Self-Assembled MonoLayers

The Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of using self-assembled mono-layers to dramatically improve the cost performance of OLED displays. The OLED industry is interested in p-i-n structured OLEDs because they can be fully printed in open-air conditions on flexible barrier substrates through the use of air-stable printable electrodes; however, these displays suffer from slow switching speeds and shortened lifetimes. The intellectual merit of this proposal is focused on stabilizing the p-i-n junction architecture for OLED devices using self-assembled mono-layers (SAM). This effort will focus on developing the materials and processes for depositing the SAM layer that specifically overcomes the weaknesses of current p-i-n displays caused by the mobility of the dopants responsible for the p and n-type doping, and to dramatically improve the efficiency, lifetime, switching speed, and printability of LEP devices onto flexible substrates. The broader impact of this proposal will be the creation of a significant technology and print-based manufacturing platform that will accelerate the use of OLED displays and photovoltaics in the low cost, large-area optoelectronic markets. Such technology is expected to provide low cost, flexible displays and could have a direct impact on other printable electronics, such as organic transistors and memory, where low cost manufacturing of high efficiency devices are paramount for commercial success.