Electroluminescence from self-organized “microdomes”

The preparation of a self-organized, microstructured organic electroluminescent device is reported. A dewetting process is used to form (sub)micrometer-sized dewetted patches (“domes”) of a hole transport material (tolyl-phenyl-diaminobiphenyl, TPD) on an indium-tin-oxide electrode. The domes are regular in size and spacing. Evaporation of an electron transport material (tris-8-hydroxyquinoline aluminum, Alq3) and an Mg/Ag top electrode leads to a device with electroluminescing spots of micrometer dimensions and a spacing of a few micrometers.