저널

Multilayer passivation film on OLED with organic/inorganic hybrid structure as to diminish the thermal stress and expansion was researched to protect device from the direct damage of $O_2$ and $H_2O$ and improve life time characteristics. Red OLED doped with 1 vol.% Rubrene in $Alq_3$ was used as a basic device. The films consist of ITO(150 nm)/ELM200_HIL(50 nm)/ELM002_HTL(30 nm)/$Alq_3$: 1 vol.% Rubrene(30 nm)/$Alq_3$(30 nm) and LiF(0.7 nm)/Al(100 nm) which were formed in that order. Using LiF/$SiN_x$ as a buffer layer was determined because it significantly improved life time characteristics without suffering damage in the process of forming passivation film. Multilayer passivation film on buffer layer didn`t produce much change in current efficiency, while the half life time at 1,000 $cd/m^2$ of OLED/LiF/$SiN_x$/E1/$SiN_x$ was 710 hours which showed about 1.5 times longer than OLED/LiF/$SiN_x$/E1 with 498 hours. futhermore, OLED/LiF/$SiN_x$/E1/$SiN_x$/E1/$SiN_x$ with 1301 hours showed about twice than OLED/LiF/$SiN_x$/E1/$SiN_x$ which demonstrated that superior characteristics of life time was obtained in multilayer passivation film. Through the above result, it was suggested using LiF/$SiN_x$ as a buffer layer could reduce the damage from the difference of thermal expansion coefficient in OLED with protective films, and epoxy layer in multilayer passivation film could function like a buffer between $SiN_x$ inorganic layers with relatively large thermal stress.

OLED;Life time;Encapsulation;Multilayer passivation film;Epoxy;$SiN_x$;