Towards the design of efficient quantum dot light-emitting diodes by controlling the exciton lifetime

Time-resolved photoluminescence and electroluminescence measurements were used to explore the emission characteristics of excitons in quantum dot light-emitting diodes (QD-LEDs). It is found that the lifetime of excitons in the QDs can be varied by adjusting the distance between the excitons and metal Al mirror, which is due to the effect of local density of optical states (LDOS) on the exciton decay rate. QD-LEDs with different hole transport layer (HTL) thickness, i.e., different distance between QDs and Al reflective anode, have been fabricated and it is found that the HTL thickness affects the device efficiency performance greatly, and the optimal HTL thickness for the red QD-LED (emission peak is at 621 nm) is 80 nm. These results shed light on the factors affecting the efficiency and efficiency roll-off in QD-LEDs, thus may provide a clue for high performance QD-LEDs.