A comparison of the effect of joule heating vs thermal annealing on the morphology of typical hole transport layers in organic light emitting devices

It is well-known that hole transport layers (HTLs) in organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) are more sensitive to morphological changes than other organic layers due to the lower glass transition temperatures. A high operational temperature can alter the HTL morphology, severely impacting OLED performance and stability. Although joule heating is a known factor affecting OLED stability during operation, its effect in experimental studies is typically simulated through thermal annealing of the devices rather than applying current. In this work, a comparison of the effects of joule heating vs thermal annealing on the morphological stability of N,N'-di(1-naphthyl)-N,N'-diphenylbenzidine (NPB) and N,N′-Dicarbazolyl-4,4′-biphenyl (CBP) HTLs and the impact this has on OLED performance is investigated. While thermal annealing of an OLED can be used as an approximation of joule heating, the temperature distribution profile of the OLED is different under the two stress conditions and thus can impact the morphology of the HTL differently. However, joule heating introduces a confounding factor whereby the OLEDs experience intrinsic degradation by the flow of current, aside from thermal stress. Therefore, in this work, joule heating is studied in unipolar devices that comprise solely of the HTL. Device JVL and morphology as a function of temperature for both joule heating and thermal annealing are presented as a means to evaluate stability and performance.