Photo and electroluminescence behavior of Tb(ACAC)3phen complex used as emissive layer on organic light emitting diodes

Abstract This work shows the luminescence properties of a rare-earth organic complex, the Tb(ACAC)3phen. The results show the 5D4 → 7F3,4,5,6 transitions with no influence of the ligand. The photoluminescence excitation spectrum is tentatively interpreted by the ligands absorption. An organic light emitting diode (OLED) was made by thermal evaporation using TPD (N,N′-bis(3-methylphenyl)N,N′-diphenylbenzidine) and Alq3 (aluminum-tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)) as hole and electron transport layers, respectively. The emission reproduces the photoluminescence spectrum of the terbium complex at room temperature, with Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage – CIE (x, y) color coordinates of (0.28, 0.55). No presence of any bands from the ligands was observed. The potential use of this compound in efficient devices is discussed.