Analysis of thermal degradation of organic light-emitting diodes with infrared imaging and impedance spectroscopy

We propose a route to examine the thermal degradation of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) with infrared (IR) imaging and impedance spectroscopy. Four different OLEDs with tris (8-hydroxyquinolinato) aluminum are prepared in this study for the analysis of thermal degradation. Our comparison of the thermal and electrical characteristics of these OLEDs reveals that the real-time temperatures of these OLEDs obtained from the IR images clearly correlate with the electrical properties and lifetimes. The OLED with poor electrical properties shows a fairly high temperature during the operation and a considerably short lifetime. Based on the correlation of the real-time temperature and the performance of the OLEDs, the impedance results suggest different thermal degradation mechanisms for each of the OLEDs. The analysis method suggested in this study will be helpful in developing OLEDs with higher efficiency and longer lifetime. (C)2013 Optical Society of America