Abstract
The understanding of the mechanism of device degradation has been accomplished recently, for devices using $AlQ_3$ electron transport and emitter molecule. In this presentation the experimental evidence for the degradation mechanism of $AlQ_3$ based devices will be reviewed, showing that the hypothesis of an unstable $AlQ_3^+$ cation explains a large amount of experimental data. This hypothesis, however, explains not only the room temperature device degradation in time but also sheds light on temperature stability of OLEDs. Dependence of half-life of a series of devices with an emitter layer composed of a mixture of $AlQ_3$ and different hole transport molecules (mixed emitter layer) will be discussed when they are operated at elevated temperatures. These results can also be explained in the framework of an unstable $AlQ_3^+$ species. An OLED structure containing a doped mixed emitter layer will be described, which shows extraordinary stability, half-life of 1200 hours at operating temperature of 70 C and initial luminance of 1650 $cd/m^2$. We will also discuss a novel Black $Cathode^{TM}$ OLED with reduced optical reflectivity, which is also stable at elevated temperatures. The new cathode utilizes a conductive light-absorbing layer made of a mixture of metals and organic materials.