Researchers at The University of Cambridge and Zhejiang University recently created highly efficient LEDs by depositing mixed-dimensional perovskites on a thin lithium fluoride interface. The fabrication method they used reportedly resulted in LEDs with impressive external quantum efficiencies, while also enabling the deposition of perovskites on a material that they are typically incompatible with.
Image from Nature Electronics
The researchers have been conducting research into perovskite-based LEDs for a few years now. Back in 2018, they created a near-infrared LED using perovskite-polymer heterostructures that achieved external quantum efficiencies of over 20% and internal quantum efficiencies of almost 100%.
'We realized that it was not possible to form emissive perovskite layers on the TFB polymer due to the strong hydrophobicity of the polymer surface,' Prof. Dawei Di at Zhejiang University, who jointly supervised the work with Prof. Richard Friend of the University of Cambridge, stated. 'So the motivation of our new study was to reliably deposit mixed-dimensional perovskite light-emitting films on suitable charge-transport layers for high-performance LEDs. Fortunately, we found that by coating the TFB surface with a polar dielectric interface such as a nanometer-thin layer of lithium fluoride, it is possible to form highly luminescent perovskite layers for efficient LEDs.'
To produce their mixed-dimensional perovskite-based LEDs, the researchers first prepared a perovskite precursor solution. They then proceeded with the spin-coating deposition of hole-transporting polymer TFB on an ITO-coated glass substrate. This was followed by a thermal annealing treatment and the thermal evaporation of a thin lithium fluoride layer on the TFB surface.
The perovskite precursor solution was deposited on the lithium fluoride coated TFB and a TPBi organic electron-transporting layer was created via thermal evaporation. Finally, the researchers thermally evaporated lithium fluoride/aluminum contacts through a shadow mask and encapsulated the LED.
'The main difference between this new design and those we created in the past is that we have now inserted a thin layer of lithium fluoride between the polymer hole-transport layer and the perovskite layer,' Di said. 'The fluoride layer holds the 'sandwich-like' multi-layer device structure together. Importantly, as we have found in our previous study, a key to high perovskite LED efficiency is the elimination of interfacial non-radiative energy losses. The fluoride interface serves this purpose very well.'
The new LED design has many advantages. The most notable one is that it enables the combination of perovskites with a range of polymeric hole-transport layers that are typically incompatible with them, by introducing a highly polar lithium fluoride interface in between the two materials. This interface makes the polymeric surfaces hydrophobic, allowing the perovskites to form on top of it.
The research team reported that it observed that the photoluminescence quantum efficiency of the perovskite films was related to the polarity of the chemical bonds in the interface they were deposited on.
The relation between the photoluminescence quantum efficiency of the perovskite films and the polarity of the chemical bonds in the interface unveiled by the researchers has important implications. In fact, it essentially means that the emission efficiency of the perovskite-based LED could be easily controlled by changing the chemical properties of the substrates they are placed on.
'We found that by using ultrathin fluoride interfacial layers, it is possible to form and integrate highly luminescent perovskite layers into LED device structures similar to high-efficiency solution-processed OLEDs,' Di said. 'Our device achieved a high external quantum efficiency of >19.1% at high brightness (>1500 cd/m2) relevant to display applications. Our findings expand the currently limited library of perovskite LED device architectures and may accelerate development in this area.'
By enabling the deposition of perovskites on polymers that they are typically incompatible with, the new fabrication strategy could open up interesting possibilities for the development of perovskite-based devices. In their future work, the researchers will continue investigating the potential of the design strategy they identified, while also exploring alternative approaches for creating LEDs.
'We now plan to further improve the light emission efficiency of perovskite LEDs by using mechanisms such as photon recycling, a process that can reuse photons that are otherwise lost in the devices,' Di said. 'We will also work on blue perovskite LEDs and the issues related to operational stability.'