Adhesion and degradation of organic and hybrid organic-inorganic light-emitting devices

This paper presents the results of a combined analytical, computational, and experimental study of adhesion and degradation of Organic Light Emitting Devices (OLEDs). The adhesion between layers that are relevant to OLEDs is studied using an atomic force microscopy technique. The interfacial failure mechanisms associated with blister formation in OLEDs and those due to the addition of TiO₂ nanoparticles into the active regions are then elucidated using a combination of fracture mechanics, finite element modeling and experiments. The blisters observed in the models are shown to be consistent with the results from adhesion, interfacial fracture mechanics models, and prior reports of diffusion-assisted phenomena. The implications of the work are then discussed for the design of OLED structures with improved lifetimes and robustness.