Growth, characterization and modeling of alternating-current thin-film electroluminescent devices

This article seeks to put together the most important and updated information and to present a unified, systematic and concise overview of the classification, physical principles and methods of the ACTFEL device growth, characterization and modeling. The review takes a comprehensive look at the evolution of the equivalent schemes of ACTFEL devices from the early purely interfacial model to the most recent models enabling simulation of the space charge formation. Comparison of experimental and computer simulated characteristics of the ACTFEL stack may bring a better understanding of the possibilities of charge storage in various regions of the device and help in finding how this may impact device performance. Some peculiarities of the SPICE simulation of the devices are also discussed. Main peculiarities of the characterization techniques are described and their role in the understanding of the device operation is presented. Some important features of the conventional characterization techniques, such as VIQ, PDP, L-V Q-V, C-V, Q(max)-V-max, and Q(p)-F-int measurements in identifying carrier traps, their energy position, and some other main device parameters are emphasized. An important role of the destructive methods of analysis, such as the scanning electron microscopy, secondary electron contrast profiling, and SIMS measurements of ACTFEL devices as complimentary tools to the non-destructive characterization techniques is demonstrated. The paper addresses the well-known as well as "non-traditional" theoretical and experimental techniques of ACTFEL device analysis. The understanding of the ACTFEL devices can be greatly improved by using the innovative analogy approach of the analysis, some aspects of which were originally developed in Luxell and converted to a characterization technique.