Electric lamp and discharge devices – With luminescent solid or liquid material – Solid-state type
Patent
1998-05-06
2000-02-08
Shingleton, Michael B
Electric lamp and discharge devices
With luminescent solid or liquid material
Solid-state type
445 24, 445 58, 313498, 313499, H01J 162
Patent
active
060231289
DESCRIPTION:
BRIEF SUMMARY
FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention related to an electroluminescent layer arrangement.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
Conventional electroluminescent layer arrangements consist of either inorganic or organic substances, which can be excited by means of an electrical voltage to emit light. The light-emitting substances are arranged between flat electrodes, a first electrode being configured as a hole-injecting electrode and a second electrode as an electron-injecting electrode. If the light-emitting substance is composed of an organic material, excitation can be accomplished by means of a DC voltage source. In this conventional arrangement the hole-injecting electrode is connected to the positive terminal of the DC voltage source, and the electron-injecting electrode to the negative terminal of the DC voltage source. A conventional electroluminescent layer arrangement of this type is described in European Patent Application No. EP 0 281 381, in which the hole-injecting electrode consists of a metal or an electrically conductive optically transparent oxide compound with a high electron emission energy (greater than 4.5 eV). The electron-injecting electrode consists of a metal other than an alkali metal, and possesses a low electron emission energy. A disadvantage of this conventional arrangement is that there is a very limited number of possible combinations due to the requirement that the selection of the electrode materials must be mutually matched, i.e. one hole-injecting electrode and one electron-injecting electrode.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
The electroluminescent layer arrangement according to the present invention offers the advantage that the properties of the hole-injecting and/or electron-injecting electrodes can easily be adapted to the specific requirements of the electroluminescent layer arrangement. Since the hole-injecting electrode and/or the electron-injecting electrode in the present invention are made of a nanomaterial i.e., (a material with an average particle size in the nanometer range), it is possible to establish an electron emission energy as low or high as desired by varying the properties and dimensioning of the nanomaterial. Thus, the nanomaterials can easily be adapted to the requirements of a hole-injecting or electron-injecting electrode.
A preferred embodiment of the present invention provides for the nanomaterials to be composed of clusters, embedded in a matrix, which preferably are surrounded by organic ligand shells. The advantage in such an arrangement is that it stabilizes the clusters by way of the ligand shells and thus makes the hole-injecting electrode and/or the electron-injection electrode corrosion-resistant. The electron emission energy of the particular electrode can be adjusted via the dimensioning of the clusters.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an electroluminescent layer arrangement according to the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of another electroluminescent layer arrangement according to the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
FIG. 1 shows a cross-section of an electroluminescent layer arrangement 10 according to the present invention, possessing a light emitting material 12 that is arranged between a first electrode 14 and a second electrode 16. Electrodes 14 and 16 are flat in configuration, so that light-emitting material 12 located between electrodes 14 and 16 is also planar in configuration. Electrodes 14 and 16 are connected to a voltage source 18, for example to a DC'voltage source, in particular to a battery of a motor vehicle. In this context, electrode 14 is connected to the negative terminal of voltage source 18 or to ground, and electrode 16 to the positive terminal of voltage source 18.
Light-emitting material 12 possesses at least one organic substance that is capable, upon application of a voltage, of emitting light. The color of the light emitted is determined, by the chemical structure of the organic substance used. Some light-emitting organic substances th
REFERENCES:
patent: 5537000 (1996-07-01), Alivisatos et al.
Fenske Dieter
Grothe Wolfgang
Gruenwald Werner
Hueppauff Martin
Schmid Guenter
Robert & Bosch GmbH
Shingleton Michael B
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