Electroluminescence (EL) thermal quenching in alternating-current thin-film electroluminescent (ACTFEL) devices refers to a reduction in the luminance with increasing temperature, which is in excess to that of normal thermal quenching and is concomitant with a reduction in the transferred charge. A comparison of thermal quenching trends for ZnS:Mn, SrS:Ce, SrS:Cu,Ag, and multilayer SrS:Cu,Ag/SrS:Ce ACTFEL devices is presented. Respectively, ZnS:Mn; SrS:Cu and SrS:Cu,Ag; and SrS:Ce and multilayer SrS:Cu,Ag/SrS:Ce ACTFEL devices exhibit very little (normal), a large amount (of primarily EL), or a small amount (of primarily normal) thermal quenching. Insertion of one or more interface layers of SrS:Ce significantly reduces the extent of EL thermal quenching in a SrS:Cu,Ag ACTFEL device. Simulation suggests that SrS:Ce interface layers decrease the rate and displace the location of hole creation by band-to-band impact ionization away from the SrS:Cu,Ag layer, where hole trapping at Cu or Ag acceptor sites leads to EL thermal quenching via thermally activated annihilation of positive space charge due to thermionic emission of holes from Cu or Ag acceptor traps.
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