The recombination zone adjusted by the gradient doping of TPA-DCPP for efficient and stable deep red organic light emitting diodes

Deep-red organic light-emitting diodes (DR-OLEDs) or near-infrared organic light-emitting diodes (NIR-OLEDs) have a wide range of applications in real life, such as special light sources for plant growth in agriculture, optical communications, infrared imaging, infrared medical imaging and other fields. However, the device performance of DR-OLEDs is still far behind that of red, green and blue OLEDs. In addition to the well-known energy gap law, the location of the recombination region also has a significant impact on the device performance. If the recombination area is too close to the cathode, the electrons in the electron transport layer will easily cause exciton quenching. In this study, for the first time, we adopted a quantum well-like structure by changing the host (CBP) and guest (TPA-DCPP) thicknesses as the light-emitting layer to manage the position of the recombination zone, and then improved the carrier injection and transportation as well as increased the exciton recombination rate. Furthermore, we introduced a hole trap layer to reduce the current density and suppress the recombination zone movement; finally, we prepared high-brightness and high-efficiency DR-OLEDs based on the TADF material with a wavelength of 674 nm, a maximum brightness of 1151 cd m(−2) and a maximum EQE of 4.4%.