Enhanced Electroluminescence Efficiency of Phosphorescent Organic Light-Emitting Diodes by Controlling the Triplet Energy of the Hole-Blocking Layer

This letter reports on the effect of the triplet energy (
E

_T
) of the hole-blocking layer (HBL) on triplet exciton quenching between the emissive layer (EML) host and the HBL of phosphorescent organic light-emitting diodes (PHOLEDs). Using different EML hosts and HBLs having different
E

_T
's and electron mobilities, the effects of the
E

_T
's of the HBL have been analyzed. When the
E

_T
of the HBL is lower than that of the EML host, the PHOLEDs show significant dependence of reduced device performances. PHOLEDs having a 3-(4-biphenylyl)-4-phenyl-5-tert-butylphenyl-1,2,4-triazole HBL show 65% improved external quantum efficiency (EQE) at 500 cd/m
²
with a 4, 4',4"-tris(
N
-carbazolyl)-triphenyl-amine host than that with an
N
,
N
' -dicarbazolyl-4-4
^'
'biphenyl host, while PHOLEDs having a 2,9-dimethyl-4,7-diphenyl-1,10-phenanthroline HBL show 41% reduced EQE. To solve the remaining key issue of developing highly efficient PHOLEDs, the
E

_T
of matching the EML and the HBL is extremely desirable and is also explored.