Abstract: A semiconductive hole transport material containing polar substituent groups, the polar substituent groups substantially not affecting the electronic properties of the hole transport material and the hole transport material being soluble in a polar solvent.

Abstract: A semiconductive conjugated polymer comprising a first repeat unit comprising general formula I: where Arl, Ar3, and Ar5 are the same or different and wherein each represents an optionally substituted aryl or heteroaryl group; Ar2 and Ar4 are the same or different and each represent a substituted aryl or heteroaryl group; and Ar2 and Ar4 sterically interact with one another so as to cause an increase in the bandgap of the polymer.

Abstract: Apparatus and methods for providing displays based upon the principle of photoluminescent quenching are described. The invention includes a method of displaying information using photoluminescence quenching, the method comprising providing an optoelectronic display comprising a photoluminescent material between a pair of electrodes, providing illumination for the photoluminescent material to cause the photoluminescent material to photoluminescence, and biasing the electrodes to at least partially quench the photoluminescence.

Abstract: A monomer having general Formula (I) which may be substituted or unsubstituted: where E and E are the same or different and are reactive groups capable of undergoing chain extension; X is O, S, NR5, R5C—CR6 or R5?CR6; Y is O, S, NR7, R7C—CR8 or R7C?CR8; R5, R6 R7 and R8 are the same or different and each is independently H or a substituent group; and each Ar is the same or different and is independently a substituted or unsubstituted aryl or heteroaryl group.

Abstract: Display driver circuits are described for driving organic light emitting diode displays, particularly passive matrix displays, with greater efficiency. The display drivers comprise a controllable current generator to provide a variable current drive output to an OLED display, the current generator comprising at least one bipolar transistor in series with the current drive output. The display brightness is adjustable by controlling the current generator to vary the current drive to the display. Preferably the bipolar transistor has an emitter terminal substantially directly connected to a power supply line of the driver to reduce losses in the driver. A corresponding method is also described. By employing a bipolar transistor current drive and varying display brightness by controlling the current an efficient driver-display combination is obtained.

Abstract: An optical device comprising an anode, a cathode comprising barium, strontium or calcium, and a layer of organic semiconducting material between the anode and the cathode wherein a layer of hole transporting and electron blocking material is located between the anode and the layer of organic semiconducting material.

Abstract: A method of forming an optical device comprising the steps of: providing a substrate comprising a first electrode capable of injecting or accepting charge carriers of a first type; forming over the first electrode a first layer that is at least partially insoluble in a solvent by depositing a first semiconducting material that is free of cross-linkable vinyl or ethynyl groups and is, at the time of deposition, soluble in the solvent; forming a second layer in contact with the first layer and comprising a second semiconducting material by depositing a second semiconducting material from a solution in the solvent; and forming over the second layer a second electrode capable of injecting or accepting charge carriers of a second type wherein the first layer is rendered at least partially insoluble by one or more of heat, vacuum and ambient drying treatment following deposition of the first semiconducting material.

Abstract: An organic electronic device structure, the structure comprising: a substrate; a base layer supported by said substrate and defining the base of a well for solvent-based deposition of organic electronic material; one or more spacer layers formed over said base layer; a bank layer formed over said spacer layer to define a side of said well; and wherein an edge of said well adjacent said base layer is undercut to define a shelf over said base layer, said shelf defining a recess to receive said organic electronic material.

Abstract: A method of forming an organic thin film transistor comprising source and drain electrodes with a channel region therebetween, a gate electrode, a dielectric layer disposed between the source and drain electrodes and the gate electrode, and an organic semiconductor disposed in at least the channel region between the source and drain electrodes, said method comprising: seeding a surface in the channel region with crystallization sites prior to deposition of the organic semiconductor; and depositing the organic semiconductor onto the seeded surface whereby the organic semiconductor crystallizes at the crystallization sites forming crystalline domains in the channel region.

Abstract: An electroluminescent device comprising: a first charge carrier injecting layer for injecting positive charge carriers; a second charge carrier injecting layer for injecting negative charge carriers; and a light-emissive layer located between the charge carrier injecting layers and comprising a mixture of: a first component for accepting positive charge carriers from the first charge carrier injecting layer; a second component for accepting negative charge carriers from the second charge carrier injecting layer; and a third, organic light-emissive component for generating light as a result of combination of charge carriers from the first and second components; at least one of the first, second and third components forming a type II semiconductor interface with another of the first, second and third components.

Abstract: Display driver circuits are described for driving organic light emitting diode displays, particularly passive matrix displays with greater efficiency. Display driver control circuitry (506) comprises a frame memory interface (505) for reading data from a frame memory (504) for presentation on a passive matrix OLED display. A blank line identifier (507) identifies one or more substantially blank rows of pixels define by the data in the frame memory and the control circuitry (506) skips past these rows when the passive matrix display is addressed. When blank lines are skipped the apparent brightness of the remaining lines increases and thus preferably the control circuitry includes a power controller (505) for reducing a power supply to the display in proportion to the number of skipped lines. The invention is particularly suited to a display driver providing a controlled current drive.

Abstract: A transparent or substantially transparent formable and/or flexible component for use as an outer protective element in an electronic or opto electronic device including at least one electrically active organic layer, which component is a composite structure comprising a layer of glass of a thickness less than or equal to 200 microns and a layer of plastic.

Abstract: A method of preparing a plurality of electrically connected organic optoelectronic devices on a substrate comprising firstly preparing a plurality of organic optoelectronic devices on a substrate, by the steps of providing a patterned layer of a first conductive material over the substrate, providing layer of organic optoelectronic material over the layer of first conductive material and providing a patterned layer of a second conductive material over the layer of organic optoelectronic material, at least partially removing regions of the organic optoelectronic material which are not covered by the patterned layer of second conductive material and secondly providing electrical connections to electrically connect at least two of the plurality of organic optoelectronic devices. The organic optoelectronic devices are suitably organic photovoltaic devices or organic electroluminescent devices.

Abstract: A top-emitting display apparatus is provided having a plurality of pixels, said apparatus comprising an anode formed on a substrate, a well-defining layer, the thickness of said well-defining layer being insufficient for it to serve as a spacer for an evaporation mask, an organic electroluminescent layer formed on the anode in each well of the well-defining layer to form said plurality of pixels, a layer of metal formed on the top surface of the well-defining layer, and a transparent cathode layer deposited such that it is formed both on the electroluminescent layer and the layer of metal on the top surface of the well-defining layer. A method for the manufacture of such an apparatus is also provided.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and apparatus for the application of material to form a layer of an organic electroluminescent device. The material is sputter deposited typically from at least one target of material held in respect to a magnetron in a coating chamber. The magnetrons used can be unbalanced magnetrons and/or are provided with other magnetrons and/or magnet arrays in a closed field configuration. The material is found to be deposited in a manner which prevents or minimises damage to the device and hence reduces or removes the need for a barrier layer to be applied.

Abstract: A method is provided to produce an opto-electronic device comprising a substrate, a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer of opposite polarity to said first electrode layer, any interlayers and, between said first and second electrode layers, a first functional material in interfacial contact with a second functional material, wherein the first functional material has the structure of a laterally porous film and the second functional material is a film disposed over and interpenetrating with the film of the first functional material.

Abstract: A polymer formed from optionally substituted first repeat units of formula (I) wherein Ar is selected from (a) aromatic hydrocarbon substituted with at least one electron withdrawing group or electron withdrawing heteroaryl. The polymers have application in electroluminescent devices.

Abstract: A formulation for depositing a material on a substrate, the formulation comprising the material to be deposited on the substrate dissolved in a solvent system comprising a first solvent component having a relatively high boiling point and which exhibits a relatively low solubility with respect to the material to be deposited, and a second solvent component having a relatively low boiling point and which exhibits a relatively high solubility with respect to the material to be deposited.

Abstract: A light-emissive device comprising: a light-emissive region (12): a first electrode (10) located on a viewing side of the light-emissive region for injecting charge carriers of a first type: and a second-electrode (11) located on a non-viewing side of the light-emissive region for injecting charge carriers of a second type; and wherein there is a reflectivity-influencing structure (13) located on the non-viewing side of the light-emissive region and including a light absorbent layer comprising graphite and/or a fluoride or oxide of a low work function metal.

Abstract: A method of manufacturing an electroluminescent device which has an anode and a cathode and arranged between the anode and the cathode a light emissive layer, also includes an anode protection layer which protects the anode against the effects of converting a precursor polymer to a semiconductive conjugated polymer which constitutes the light emissive layer. This has been found to increase the brightness and half-life of devices.