While organic electroluminescent (EL) devices have been known for over two decades, their performance limitations have represented a barrier to many desirable applications. In simplest form, an organic EL device is comprised of an anode for hole injection, a cathode for electron injection, and an organic medium sandwiched between these electrodes to support charge recombination that yields emission of light. These devices are also commonly referred to as organic light-emitting diodes, or OLEDs. Representative of earlier organic EL devices are Gurnee et al. U.S. Pat. No. 3,172,862, issued Mar. 9, 1965; Gurnee U.S. Pat. No. 3,173,050, issued Mar. 9, 1965; Dresner, “Double Injection Electroluminescence in Anthracene”, RCA Review, Vol. 30, pp. 322-334, 1969; and Dresner U.S. Pat. No. 3,710,167, issued Jan. 9, 1973. The organic layers in these devices, usually composed of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon, were very thick (much greater than 1 μm). Consequently, operating voltages were very high, often >100V.
More recent organic EL devices include an organic EL element consisting of extremely thin layers (e.g. <1.0 μm) between the anode and the cathode. Herein, the term “organic EL element” encompasses the layers between the anode and cathode electrodes. Reducing the thickness lowered the resistance of the organic layer and has enabled devices that operate much lower voltage. In a basic two-layer EL device structure, described first in U.S. Pat. No. 4,356,429, one organic layer of the EL element adjacent to the anode is specifically chosen to transport holes, therefore, it is referred to as the hole-transporting layer, and the other organic layer is specifically chosen to transport electrons, referred to as the electron-transporting layer. Recombination of the injected holes and electrons within the organic EL element results in efficient electroluminescence.
There have also been proposed three-layer organic EL devices that contain an organic light-emitting layer (LEL) between the hole-transporting layer and electron-transporting layer, such as that disclosed by Tang et al [J. Applied Physics, Vol. 65, Pages 3610-3616, 1989]. The light-emitting layer commonly consists of a host material doped with a guest material. Still further, there has been proposed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,769,292 a four-layer EL element comprising a hole-injecting layer (HIL), a hole-transporting layer (HTL), a light-emitting layer (LEL) and an electron transport/injection layer (ETL). These structures have resulted in improved device efficiency.
Anthracene based hosts are often used. An useful class of 9,10-di-(2-naphthyl)anthracene hosts has been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,935,721. Bis-anthracene compounds used in the luminescent layer with an improved device half-life have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,534,199 and US 2002/136,922. Electroluminescent devices with improved luminance using anthracene compound have been disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,582,837. Anthracenes have also been used in the HTL as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,465,115. In addition there are other disclosures of using anthracene materials in OLED devices, U.S. Pat. No. 5,972,247, JP2001-097897, JP2000-273056, U.S. 2002/0048687, WO 03/060956, WO 02/088274, EP 0429821, WO 03/007658, JP 2000-053677, and JP 2001-335516.
Despite these advances, there is a continuing need for hosts that have better operational stability and are conveniently manufactured. Improved operational stability of OLED devices will allow their use in more products.