Organic semiconductor heterojunctions: electrode-independent charge injectors for high-performance organic light-emitting diodes

Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are driven by injected charges from an anode and a cathode. The low and high work function metals are necessary for the effective injection of electrons and holes, respectively. Here, we introduce a fully novel design concept using organic semiconductor heterojunctions (OSHJs) as the charge injectors for achieving highly efficient OLEDs, regardless of the work functions of the electrodes. In contrast to traditional injected charges from the electrodes, the injected charges originate from the OSHJs. The device performance was shown to be significantly improved in efficiency and stability compared to conventional OLEDs. Attractively, the OLEDs based on OSHJs as charge injectors still exhibited an impressive performance when the low work function Al was replaced by air- and chemistry-stable high work function metals, such as Au, Ag, and Cu, as the cathode contact, which has been suggested to be difficult in conventional OLEDs. This concept challenges the conventional design approach for the injection of charges and allows for the realization of practical applications of OLEDs with respect to high efficiency, selectable electrodes, and a long lifetime.