Indium tin oxide anode modification for enhanced polymer light-emitting devices

Effort has been focused on exploring indium tin oxide (ITO) anode modification for enhanced performance of polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs). It was found that oxidative treatment, e.g., a commonly used oxygen plasma, modifies ITO surface effectively to produce a low-conductivity oxygen-rich region. As a consequence, oxygen plasma-treated ITO behaves somewhat similarly to specimens where there is an ultra-thin insulating layer on its surface. It shows that the presence of such an ultra-thin insulating interlayer between the ITO and the polymer layer favors the efficient operation of the PLEDs. The result of this effort provides an insight to better understand optimal anode contact for enhanced PLED performance.