DOE recognizes Lab's lighting research achievements

Organic light-emitting diodes

Apr. 21, 2010—The Department of Energy recently recognized a team of researchers from Materials Physics and Applications (MPA) Division and the Los Alamos Neutron Science Center (LANSCE) for their research to develop new materials to lower the cost of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) manufacturing. Anthony Burrell, Eve Bauer, and Tom McCleskey of Materials Chemistry (MPA-MC), Hongmei Luo of the Lujan Center (LANSCE-LC), and Quanxi Jia of the Center for Integrated Technology (MPA-CINT) were honored at "Transformations in Lighting," the seventh annual U.S. DOE Solid-State Lighting Research & Development Workshop. The team was one of nine recognized by DOE for significant breakthroughs and achievements in 2009, representing research in light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and organic light-emitting diodes conducted at industry, universities, and research institutions.

Lighting consumes about one-fourth of the electricity produced annually in the United States. Potentially more efficient and environmentally friendly than current lighting sources, organic light-emitting diodes could conceivably replace both fluorescent and incandescent lights as the primary lighting source. The organic light-emitting diodes make light by the controlled movement of electrons, not by heating up a wire filament, as in incandescent lights. Therefore, these diodes use much less energy than conventional lights. Organic light-emitting diodes also have unique properties that make them attractive for lighting applications, including making it possible to electrically control the spectral properties of the light emitted and the ability to be arranged over large areas in various shapes. These diodes are very thin, flexible, and produce bright color. However, cost and long-term application are major issues of this new lighting technology, because the indium used in these diodes is a limited resource.

Transparent conducting oxides are key components of organic light-emitting diodes. Their properties and production methods are vital to the future of solid-state lighting. Indium tin oxide is the most popular transparent conducting oxide for organic light-emitting diodes application because of its high transparency and work function. However, indium is a rare material available from only a few places in the world. The consumption trend for indium may exceed production due to the increasing use of this material in flat-panel displays and televisions.

The LANL team identified new compositions that could be alternatives to indium tin oxide for use in organic light-emitting diodes. The scientists developed transparent thin film nitrides based upon vanadium nitride doped with first-row transition metals. These metals are much more readily attainable and economical than indium. The DOE Solid State Lighting program (Karl Jonietz, LANL program manager) funded the work. Technical contact: Anthony Burrell of MPA-MC.