Harnessing Exciton Transitions for Sensing Devices: OLED and Transistor-Based Magnetic Field Sensors

The study of excitons has advanced optoelectronic device control and efficiency. Now, there is a growing interest in harnessing the unique exciton transitions of long-lived high-binding energy excitons (HBEE) for developing new device functionality. Our research has demonstrated the feasibility of using exciton dynamics in organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) as magnetic field sensors in fully electronic devices¹. Additionally, wide-field optical detection of OLED output in a graded magnetic field has been demonstrated that shows the promise of sub-micron sensing using excitons². By integrating exciton properties and functionality into LEDs and other electronic devices, we envision the potential for developing screens and lighting with built-in sensing capabilities. We are actively exploring the use of transistor-based sensors to refine exciton-based measurements within electronic devices^3,4. The flexibility of controlling parameters in transistors, such as traps, interfaces, field, structure, etc, offers a versatile approach to enhancing exciton properties for optimal field sensing. Our ongoing work investigates material and device properties to enhance signal sensitivity, extending beyond the conventional focus on optoelectronic efficiency studies.<br/><br/>1 S. Engmann, E. G. Bittle and D. J. Gundlach, <i>ACS Appl. Electron. Mater.</i>, 2023, <b>5</b>, 4595–4604.<br/>2 R. Geng, A. Mena, W. J. Pappas and D. R. McCamey, <i>Nat. Commun.</i>, 2023, <b>14</b>, 1441.<br/>3 E. G. Bittle, S. Engmann, K. Thorley and J. Anthony, <i>J. Mater. Chem. C</i>, 2021, <b>9</b>, 11809–11814.<br/>4 H. J. Jang, E. G. Bittle, Q. Zhang, A. J. Biacchi, C. A. Richter and D. J. Gundlach, <i>ACS Nano</i>, 2019, <b>13</b>, 616–623.