Electroluminescence from organic materials has the potential to enable low-cost, full-color flat-panel displays, as well as other emissive products. Some materials have now demonstrated adequate efficiencies (1 to 15 lumens/watt) and lifetimes (>5000 hours) for practical use; however, the factors that govern lifetime remain poorly understood. This article provides a brief review of device principles and applications requirements and focuses on the understanding of reliability issues.

We report electroluminescence (EL) degradation studies of thin-film organic light-emitting diodes under ambient conditions. Bilayer organic ITO/TPD/Alq3/Mg/Ag devices were studied via EL and photoluminescence (PL) microscopy. In situ imaging of device luminescing areas and measurement of sample luminance were performed, allowing for a detailed study of black spot formation and luminance reduction under constant voltage stress conditions. Post-stress devices were further characterized using PL microscopy, and it was found that black spots result from delamination of the metal at the Alq3/Mg interface initiated by pinholes on the cathode, caused by substrate defects.

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