Study of degradation mechanism and packaging of organic light emitting devices

Organic Light Emitting Devices (OLED) have attracted much attention recently, for their applications in future Flat Panel Displays and lighting products. However, their fast degradation remained a major obstacle to their commercialization. Here we present a brief summary of our studies on both extrinsic and intrinsic causes for the fast degradation of OLEDs. In particular, we focus on the origin of the dark spots by "rebuilding" cathodes, which confirms that the growth of dark spots occurs primarily due to cathode delamination. In the meantime, we recapture the findings from the search for suitable OLED packaging materials, in particular polymer composites, which provide both heat dissipation and moisture resistance, in addition to electrical insulation.