OLEDs: light-emitting thin film thermistors revealing advanced self-heating effects

Large area OLEDs show pronounced Joule self-heating at high brightness. This heating induces brightness inhomogeneities, drastically increasing beyond a certain current level. We discuss this behavior considering 'S'-shaped negative differential resistance upon self-heating, even allowing for 'switched-back' regions where the luminance finally decreases (Fischer et al., Adv. Funct. Mater. 2014, 24, 3367). By using a multi-physics simulation the device characteristics can be modeled, resulting in a comprehensive understanding of the problem. Here, we present results for an OLED lighting panel considered for commercial application. It turns out that the strong electrothermal feedback in OLEDs prevents high luminance combined with a high degree of homogeneity unless new optimization strategies are considered.