Light-induced fine-tuning of optical cavities for organic optoelectronic devices
Precise structural control is essential for high-performance semiconductors. In organic electronics, traditional methods for tuning the dimensions of device structures often rely on cumbersome, limited-resolution processes such as shadow mask patterning, printing, or viscosity tuning. Here, we report ultraviolet (UV) irradiation in ambient conditions as a transformative approach for tuning structural parameters of organic small molecule hole transport layers (HTLs) in vertical and lateral directions. The method preserves HTL conductivity while facilitating uniform thickness reduction through synergistic photo-induced oligomerization and photo-oxidative layer shrinking. Controlled thinning applies to various organic materials. In cavity architectures, UV-treated organic photodetectors show narrowband detection from 900 to 1200 nm with a full width at half maximum down to 25 nm, and UV-treated organic light-emitting diodes exhibit 75 nm peak tunability. Moreover, this strategy permits micrometer-scale lateral patterning of HTLs. Our work opens new opportunities for precise and practical engineering for organic electronic devices.
Authors
- Anna‐Lena Hofmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0409-7124)
- Eva Bittrich (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1484-1786)
- Dinara Samigullina (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6712-3780)
- Shen Xing (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0637-3962)
- Maximilian F. X. Dorfner
- Tianyi Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2093-0227)
- Johannes Benduhn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5683-9495)
- Karl Leo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3313-1843)
- Mikhail Malanin
- Samuel D. Seddon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8900-9308)
- Stephanie Buchholtz
- Sebastian Reineke (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4112-6991)
- Jakob Wolansky (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0002-0276-0583)
- Jörn Vahland (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5900-751X)
- Louis Conrad Winkler
- Hans Kleemann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9773-6676)
- Frank Ortmann (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5884-5749)
- Dieter Fischer (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4458-2631)
- Vasiliki Prifti
- Rongjuan Huang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1983-4449)
- Yuan Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0677-3111)
- Xinliang Feng (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3885-2703)
- Mingchao Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9979-3503)
- Guoqin Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0930-3812)
Institutions
- Leibniz Institute of Polymer Research (DE)
- Institute for Advanced Study (DE)
- Technical University of Munich (DE)
- Technische Universität Dresden (DE)
- Beijing Information Science & Technology University (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2025-09-25
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-64272-7
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Organic Electronics and Photovoltaics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 1.46
Funders
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Bundesministerium für Bildung und Forschung
- Graduiertenakademie, Technische Universität Dresden