Design and optimization of a blue fluorescent microcavity-organic light-emitting diode (MOLED) on AZO anode for an algae excitation light source application

In this work, we present simultaneous organic light-emitting diode (OLED) stack optimization and optical modelling for a blue microcavity-OLED (MOLED) based on AZO anode to be used as algae excitation light in optical biosensor. Fluorescent materials (MADN and DPAVBi) were chosen as host:guest for the doped emissive layer due their known stability compared to phosphorescent and thermally activated delayed fluorescence (TADF) materials. The MOLED modelling was performed by targeting 470 nm as the maximal excitation wavelength and suppressing the emission in the algae fluorescence bandwidth (600-800 nm) in order to fulfil the sensor requirements. By using a bilayer hole transport layer/electron blocking layer (HTL/EBL) instead of a single HTL, the total thickness was adjusted to meet the resonance wavelength condition without loss of efficiency, while at the same time preserving a maximum electric field intensity in the emissive layer (antinode position). MOLED devices were fabricated by organic semiconductor evaporation on three dielectric distributed Bragg reflectors (DBRs) with 3 different numbers of TiO₂/SiO₂(high-index/low-index) pairs and aluminum-doped zinc oxide (AZO) transparent electrode. Devices with 1.5 pairs as DBR showed not only an improved external quantum efficiency (+33%) compared to a standard OLED but also an increase of about 3 times the intensity of the peak at 470 nm combined to a lower emission in the 600-800 nm bandwidth, as aimed. This increase in the peak intensity should lead to a longer device lifetime, as the current density necessary to excite algae at 470 nm is significantly lower owing to the microcavity effect.