Control of resonant wavelength from organic light-emitting materials by use of a Fabry-Perot microcavity structure

We report the fabrication of Fabry-Perot microcavity structures with the organic light-emitting material tris-(8-hydroxyquinoline) aluminum (Alq(3)) and derive their optical properties by measuring their photoluminescence (PL) and absorption. Silver and a TiO2-SiO2 multilayer were used as metal and dielectric reflectors, respectively, in a Fabry-Perot microcavity structure. Three types of microcavity were prepared: type A consisted of [air\Ag\Alq(3)\Ag\glass]; type B, of [air\dielectric\Alq(3)\dielectric\glass]; and type C, of [air\Ag\Alq(3)\dielectric\glass]. A bare Alq(3) film of [air\Alq(3)\glass] had its PL peak near 514 nm, and its full width at half-maximum (FWHM) was 80 run. The broad FWHM of a bare Alq(3) film was reduced to 15-27.5, 7-10.5, and 16-16.6 nm for microcavity types A, B, and C, respectively. Also, we could control the PL peak of the microcavity structure by changing the spacer thickness, the amount of phase change on reflection, and the angle of incidence. (C) 2002 Optical Society of America.