We describe the fabrication and characterization of solution processed
organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) based on novel near-infrared emitting
erbium(III) complexes, consisting of three perfluoroalkyl-β-diketone ligands
and 5-NO2-1,10-phenanthroline as chelating N,N-donor molecule.
The function of N,N molecule is to saturate the coordination sphere of the
erbium ion and to harvest excitation light that can be transferred to the
excited states of the erbium ion. The devices have been fabricated by
spin-coating, using 1 %wt methanol precursor solutions. These Er-complexes
form very uniform thin films. The OLED structure is glass/indium–tin
oxide(ITO) / poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) / poly(4-styrenesulfonate)
(PEDOT:PSS)/Er-complex/Ca/Al. The good electrical response, with low
threshold voltages (a few volts), together with the very uniform thin films
formed, made these complexes promising for IR emitting displays.