Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes with Improved Outcoupling Using a High-Index Contrast Nanoarray

Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes with Quantum Wires and Nanorods

Perovskite materials, celebrated for their exceptional optoelectronic properties, have seen extensive application in the field of light-emitting diodes (LEDs), where research is as abundant as the proverbial "carloads of books." In this review, the research of perovskite materials is delved into from a dimensional perspective, with a focus on the exemplary performance of low-dimensional perovskite materials in LEDs. This discussion predominantly revolves around perovskite quantum wires and perovskite nanorods. Perovskite quantum wires are versatile in their growth, compatible with both solution-based and vapor-phase growth, and can be deposited over large areas-even on spherical substrates-to achieve commendable electroluminescence (EL). Perovskite nanorods, on the other hand, boast a suite of superior characteristics, such as polarization properties and tunability of the transition dipole moment, endowing them with the great potential to enhance light extraction efficiency. Furthermore, zero-dimensional (0D) perovskite materials like nanocrystals (NCs) are also the subject of widespread research and application. This review reflects on and synthesizes the unique qualities of the aforementioned materials while exploring their vital roles in the development of high-efficiency perovskite LEDs (PeLEDs).

Enhancing Light Out-coupling in Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes through Plasmonic Nanostructures

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) have emerged as promising candidates for lighting and display technologies owing to their high photoluminescence quantum efficiency and high carrier mobility. However, the performance of planar PeLEDs is limited by the out-coupling efficiency, predominantly governed by photonic losses at device interfaces. Most notably, the plasmonic loss at the metal electrode interfaces can account for up to 60% of the total loss. Here, we investigate the use of plasmonic nanostructures to improve the light out-coupling in PeLEDs. By integrating these nanostructures with PeLEDs, we have demonstrated an effectively reduced plasmonic loss and enhanced light out-coupling. As a result, the nanostructured PeLEDs exhibit an average 1.5-fold increase in external quantum efficiency and an ∼20-fold improvement in device lifetime. This finding offers a generic approach for enhancing light out-coupling, promising great potential to go beyond existing performance limitations.

Luminescence and Degeneration Mechanism of Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes and Strategies for Improving Device Performance

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) can be a promising technology for next-generation display and lighting applications due to their excellent optoelectronic properties. However, a systematical overview of luminescence and degradation mechanism of perovskite materials and PeLEDs is lacking. Therefore, it is crucial to fully understand these mechanisms and further improve device performances. In this work, the fundamental photophysical processes of perovskite materials, electroluminescence mechanism of PeLEDs including carrier kinetics and efficiency roll-off as well as device degradation mechanism are discussed in detail. In addition, the strategies to improve device performances are summarized, including optimization of photoluminescence quantum yield, charge injection and recombination, and light outcoupling efficiency. It is hoped that this work can provide guidance for future development of PeLEDs and ultimately realize industrial applications.

Light management for perovskite light-emitting diodes

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have reached external quantum efficiencies of over 20% for various colours, showing great potential for display and lighting applications. Despite the internal quantum efficiencies of the best-performing devices already approaching unity, around 80% of the internally generated photons are trapped in the devices and lose energy through a variety of lossy channels. Significant opportunities for improving efficiency and maximizing photon extraction lie in the effective management of light. In this Review we analyse light management strategies based on the intrinsic optical properties of the perovskite materials and the extrinsic properties related to device structures. These approaches should allow the external quantum efficiencies of perovskite LEDs to substantially exceed the conventional limits of planar organic LED devices. By revisiting lessons learned from organic LEDs and perovskite solar cells, we highlight possible directions of future research towards perovskite LEDs with ultrahigh efficiencies.

YCl3-Substituted CsPbI3 Perovskite Nanorods for Efficient Red-Light-Emitting Diodes

Cesium lead iodide (CsPbI₃) perovskite nanocrystals (NCs) are a promising material for red-light-emitting diodes (LEDs) due to their excellent color purity and high luminous efficiency. However, small-sized CsPbI₃ colloidal NCs, such as nanocubes, used in LEDs suffer from confinement effects, negatively impacting their photoluminescence quantum yield (PLQY) and overall efficiency. Here, we introduced YCl₃ into the CsPbI₃ perovskite, which formed anisotropic, one-dimensional (1D) nanorods. This was achieved by taking advantage of the difference in bond energies among iodide and chloride ions, which caused YCl₃ to promote the anisotropic growth of CsPbI₃ NCs. The addition of YCl₃ significantly improved the PLQY by passivating nonradiative recombination rates. The resulting YCl₃-substituted CsPbI₃ nanorods were applied to the emissive layer in LEDs, and we achieved an external quantum efficiency of ~3.16%, which is 1.86-fold higher than the pristine CsPbI₃ NCs (1.69%) based LED. Notably, the ratio of horizontal transition dipole moments (TDMs) in the anisotropic YCl₃:CsPbI₃ nanorods was found to be 75%, which is higher than the isotropically-oriented TDMs in CsPbI₃ nanocrystals (67%). This increased the TDM ratio and led to higher light outcoupling efficiency in nanorod-based LEDs. Overall, the results suggest that YCl₃-substituted CsPbI₃ nanorods could be promising for achieving high-performance perovskite LEDs.

Hybrid modeling of perovskite light-emitting diodes with nanostructured emissive layers

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) have attracted much attention due to their superior performance. When a bottleneck of energy conversion efficiency is achieved with materials engineering, nanostructure incorporation proves to be a feasible approach to further improve device efficiencies via light extraction enhancement. The finite-difference time-domain simulation is widely used for optical analysis of nanostructured optoelectronic devices, but reliable modeling of PeLEDs with nanostructured emissive layers remains unmet due to the difficulty of locating dipole light sources. Herein we established a hybrid process for modeling light emission behaviors of such nanostructured PeLEDs by calibrating light source distribution through electrical simulations. This hybrid modeling method serves as a universal tool for structure optimization of light-emitting diodes with nanostructured emissive layers.

Microscale gratings patterned in perovskite films to promote the electron-optical conversion efficiency of perovskite light-emitting diodes

In this paper, we investigated an enhancement of luminance in a perovskite light-emitting diode (PeLED) by inserting periodic microscale gratings. Soft imprinting was employed to pattern the gratings onto the surface of perovskite film in the annealing process. It was found that the grain-refining effect deeply influenced the morphology and crystallinity of the perovskite film. The finite-element analysis was utilized to confirm the light extraction enhancement arising from the inserted microscale gratings. Additionally, the introduction of microscale gratings led to a 1.33 enhancement of the device's optoelectrical field intensity. Thus, the patterned PeLED obtained an enhancement of 2.96 and 2.1 of the luminance and external quantum efficiency, respectively.

Luminescence enhancement of lead halide perovskite light-emitting diodes with plasmonic metal nanostructures

Metal halide perovskites, as newly emerging light emitters, have been attracting considerable attention on luminescent materials and devices, due to their superior optoelectronic properties and potential practical applications. Recently, perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) based on lead halide perovskites (LHPs) have been largely designed and intensively studied in laboratory platforms. However, to satisfy demand and promote their commercialization, it is crucial to improve the efficiency and stability of PeLEDs. Accordingly, the surface-plasmon (SP) effect provides a promising approach to enhance their luminescence, which is realized by incorporating plasmonic metal nanostructures (NSs) into PeLEDs. This review presents a comprehensive overview of the research status and prospect on LHP-based plasmonic PeLEDs together with the corresponding perovskite light-emission films (PeLEFs). Firstly, the recent development of the PeLEDs is briefly introduced. Secondly, the mechanisms and photophysics of the PeLEDs by SP manipulation are simply illustrated and analyzed. Then, the recent progress and achievements on the theoretical and experimental results of SP effect applications in the PeLEDs together with PeLEFs are presented in detail and systematically reviewed. Next, the current challenges and future directions of the PeLEDs are shown and discussed. Finally, a critical summary and outlook of the PeLEDs are summarized and proposed. Our results indicate that this new class of LHP-based plasmonic PeLEDs presents future research fields and demonstrates promising applications in lighting and displays, and further luminescence enhancement in exciton radiation processes and light extraction techniques are a hopeful route to obtain high-performance PeLEDs.

Research progress of full electroluminescent white light-emitting diodes based on a single emissive layer

Carbon neutrality, energy savings, and lighting costs and quality have always led to urgent demand for lighting technology innovation. White light-emitting diodes (WLEDs) based on a single emissive layer (SEL) fabricated by the solution method have been continuously researched in recent years; they are advantageous because they have a low cost and are ultrathin and flexible. Here, we reviewed the history and development of SEL-WLEDs over recent years to provide inspiration and promote their progress in lighting applications. We first introduced the emitters and analysed the advantages of these emitters in creating SEL-WLEDs and then reviewed some cases that involve the above emitters, which were formed via vacuum thermal evaporation or solution processes. Some notable developments that deserve attention are highlighted in this review due to their potential use in SEL-WLEDs, such as perovskite materials. Finally, we looked at future development trends of SEL-WLEDs and proposed potential research directions.

Excess Ion-Induced Efficiency Roll-Off in High-Efficiency Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes

Applying extensively excess ammonium halides in forming perovskites is a widely used approach to achieve high-performance perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs). However, most of these PeLEDs suffer from severe external quantum efficiency (EQE) roll-off at high current densities, thereby restricting the realization of high-brightness PeLEDs and laser diodes. In this work, we explore the underlying mechanism of the EQE roll-off in high-efficiency formamidinium lead iodide (FAPbI₃)-based PeLEDs. By combining voltage-dependent electrical stress measurements and ex situ ion distribution analysis of PeLEDs, we found that the electric field-driven migration and local segregation of excess iodide ions, originated from nonstoichiometric precursors, trigger the EQE roll-off via promoting imbalanced charge injection. Based on this discovery, we introduced a simple wash-off treatment with chloroform to remove the excess iodides from the perovskite surface and demonstrated that the treatment is highly effective in suppressing the roll-off behavior. By combining the treatment and the use of an ultrathin poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA) interlayer, we achieved a high-brightness PeLED with an EQE_max of 19.6%, a critical current density of 1550 mA cm^-2, and a radiance_max of 875 W sr^-1 m^-2. The study reveals the double-edge sword effect of precursor nonstoichiometry and highlights the importance of managing excess ions in perovskite films.

Materials, photophysics and device engineering of perovskite light-emitting diodes

Here we provide a comprehensive review of a newly developed lighting technology based on metal halide perovskites (i.e. perovskite light-emitting diodes) encompassing the research endeavours into materials, photophysics and device engineering. At the outset we survey the basic perovskite structures and their various dimensions (namely three-, two- and zero-dimensional perovskites), and demonstrate how the compositional engineering of these structures affects the perovskite light-emitting properties. Next, we turn to the physics underpinning photo- and electroluminescence in these materials through their connection to the fundamental excited states, energy/charge transport processes and radiative and non-radiative decay mechanisms. In the remainder of the review, we focus on the engineering of perovskite light-emitting diodes, including the history of their development as well as an extensive analysis of contemporary strategies for boosting device performance. Key concepts include balancing the electron/hole injection, suppression of parasitic carrier losses, improvement of the photoluminescence quantum yield and enhancement of the light extraction. Overall, this review reflects the current paradigm for perovskite lighting, and is intended to serve as a foundation to materials and device scientists newly working in this field.

High-performance quasi-2D perovskite light-emitting diodes: from materials to devices

Quasi-two-dimensional (quasi-2D) perovskites have attracted extraordinary attention due to their superior semiconducting properties and have emerged as one of the most promising materials for next-generation light-emitting diodes (LEDs). The outstanding optical properties originate from their structural characteristics. In particular, the inherent quantum-well structure endows them with a large exciton binding energy due to the strong dielectric- and quantum-confinement effects; the corresponding energy transfer among different n-value species thus results in high photoluminescence quantum yields (PLQYs), particularly at low excitation intensities. The review herein presents an overview of the inherent properties of quasi-2D perovskite materials, the corresponding energy transfer and spectral tunability methodologies for thin films, as well as their application in high-performance LEDs. We then summarize the challenges and potential research directions towards developing high-performance and stable quasi-2D PeLEDs. The review thus provides a systematic and timely summary for the community to deepen the understanding of quasi-2D perovskite materials and resulting LED devices.

Advances in Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes Possessing Improved Lifetime

Recently, perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) are seeing an increasing academic and industrial interest with a potential for a broad range of technologies including display, lighting, and signaling. The maximum external quantum efficiency of PeLEDs can overtake 20% nowadays, however, the lifetime of PeLEDs is still far from the demand of practical applications. In this review, state-of-the-art concepts to improve the lifetime of PeLEDs are comprehensively summarized from the perspective of the design of perovskite emitting materials, the innovation of device engineering, the manipulation of optical effects, and the introduction of advanced encapsulations. First, the fundamental concepts determining the lifetime of PeLEDs are presented. Then, the strategies to improve the lifetime of both organic-inorganic hybrid and all-inorganic PeLEDs are highlighted. Particularly, the approaches to manage optical effects and encapsulations for the improved lifetime, which are negligibly studied in PeLEDs, are discussed based on the related concepts of organic LEDs and Cd-based quantum-dot LEDs, which is beneficial to insightfully understand the lifetime of PeLEDs. At last, the challenges and opportunities to further enhance the lifetime of PeLEDs are introduced.

Multifunctional Charge Transporting Materials for Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes

Despite their low exciton-binding energies, metal halide perovskites are extensively studied as light-emitting materials owing to narrow emission with high color purity, easy/wide color tunability, and high photoluminescence quantum yields. To improve the efficiency of perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs), much effort has been devoted to controlling the emitting layer morphologies to induce charge confinement and decrease the nonradiative recombination. The interfaces between the emitting layer and charge transporting layer (CTL) are vulnerable to various defects that deteriorate the efficiency and stability of the PeLEDs. Therefore, the establishment of multifunctional CTLs that can improve not only charge transport but also critical factors that influence device performance, such as defect passivation, morphology/phase control, ion migration suppression, and light outcoupling efficiency, are highly required. Herein, the fundamental limitations of perovskites as emitters (i.e., defects, morphological and phase instability, high refractive index with poor outcoupling) and the recent developments with regard to multifunctional CTLs to compensate such limitations are summarized, and their device applications are also reviewed. Finally, based on the importance of multifunctional CTLs, the outlook and research prospects of multifunctional CTLs for the further improvement of PeLEDs are discussed.

Realizing CsPbBr3 Light-Emitting Diode Arrays Based on PDMS Template Confined Solution Growth of Single-Crystalline Perovskite

Metal-halide perovskites have shown excellent optoelectronic properties, among which the array-type architecture is highly desirable. However, both the susceptibility of perovskites to polar solvents and the complex 3D geometry of array structure have led to great challenges for device fabrication and performance, which hinders their further applications. Here, we report a simple but efficient approach highly compatible with the state-of-the-art microelectronics processes to construct single-crystalline array light-emitting diodes (LEDs) of perovskite. The well-aligned single-crystalline array was sandwiched as the emission layer, among the carefully designed multilayer ITO/NiO/CsPbBr₃/PMMA/ZnO/Ag structure. Through systematically altering the size of CsPbBr₃ single crystal and the thickness of insulation layer, the device performance has been optimized and eventually achieved a 99% working ratio in a 62 × 47 array. Moreover, a prototype device of LED display was also fabricated. These results clearly demonstrate that our strategy is efficient, reliable, and versatile, which can be easily extended to other perovskites.

Micro- and Nanopatterning of Halide Perovskites Where Crystal Engineering for Emerging Photoelectronics Meets Integrated Device Array Technology

Tremendous efforts have been devoted to developing thin film halide perovskites (HPs) for use in high-performance photoelectronic devices, including solar cells, displays, and photodetectors. Furthermore, structured HPs with periodic micro- or nanopatterns have recently attracted significant interest due to their potential to not only improve the efficiency of an individual device via the controlled arrangement of HP crystals into a confined geometry, but also to technologically pixelate the device into arrays suitable for future commercialization. However, micro- or nanopatterning of HPs is not usually compatible with conventional photolithography, which is detrimental to ionic HPs and requires special techniques. Herein, a comprehensive overview of the state-of-the-art technologies used to develop micro- and nanometer-scale HP patterns, with an emphasis on their controlled microstructures based on top-down and bottom-up approaches, and their potential for future applications, is provided. Top-down approaches include modified conventional lithographic techniques and soft-lithographic methods, while bottom-up approaches include template-assisted patterning of HPs based on lithographically defined prepatterns and self-assembly. HP patterning is shown here to not only improve device performance, but also to reveal the unprecedented functionality of HPs, leading to new research areas that utilize their novel photophysical properties.

Surface-Plasmon-Enhanced Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) have attracted considerable attention because of their potential in display and lighting applications. To promote commercialization of PeLEDs, it is important to improve the external quantum efficiency of the devices, which depends on their internal quantum efficiency (IQE) and light extraction efficiency. Optical simulations have revealed that 20-50% of the light generated in the device will be lost to surface plasmon (SP) modes formed in the metal/dielectric interfaces. Therefore, extracting the optical energy in SP modes to the air will greatly increase the light extraction efficiency of PeLEDs. In addition, the SPs can accelerate radiative recombination of the emitter via near-field effects. Thus, the IQE of a PeLED can also be enhanced by SP manipulation. In this review, first, general concepts of the SPs and how they can enhance the efficiency of LEDs are introduced. Then recent progresses in SP-enhanced emission of perovskite films and LEDs are systematically reviewed. After that, the challenges and opportunities of the SP-enhanced PeLEDs are shown, followed by an outlook of further development of the SPs in perovskite optoelectronic devices.

Rational Interface Engineering for Efficient Flexible Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes

Although perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) are promising for next-generation displays and lighting, their efficiency is still considerably below that of conventional inorganic and organic counterparts. Significant efforts in various aspects of the electroluminescence process are required to achieve high-performance PeLEDs. Here, we present an improved flexible PeLED structure based on the rational interface engineering for energy-efficient photon generation and enhanced light outcoupling. The interface-stimulated crystallization and defect passivation of the perovskite emitter are synergistically realized by tuning the underlying interlayer, leading to the suppression of trap-mediated nonradiative recombination losses. Besides approaching highly emissive perovskite layers, the outcoupling of trapped light is also enhanced by combining the silver nanowires-based electrode with quasi-random nanopatterns on flexible plastic substrate. Upon the collective optimization of the device structure, a record external quantum efficiency of 24.5% is achieved for flexible PeLEDs based on green-emitting CsPbBr₃ perovskite.

Silver-Bismuth Bilayer Anode for Perovskite Nanocrystal Light-Emitting Devices

Perovskite nanocrystal light-emitting devices (PNC LEDs) exhibit great potential in display and lighting applications. Balanced hole and electron injection in the light-emitting layer is undoubtedly an effective way to improve LED performance. Here, bismuth (Bi) was introduced into PNC LEDs to form a silver-bismuth (Ag-Bi) bilayer anode. Ag diffused into a defective 2 nm thick Bi layer to form an alloy-like state that promoted hole injection, reduced the charge transfer resistance, and enhanced charge transfer, leading to more balanced hole-electron carriers in the emission layer through hole injection enhancement. As a result, the turn-on voltage and brightness changed from 2.41 V and 2200 cd m^-2, respectively, for CsPb_1-xZn_xI₃-based LEDs with a Ag monolayer anode to 2.2 V and 3714 cd m^-2, respectively, for devices with a Ag-Bi bilayer anode. In addition, the performance of CsPbI₃ and CsPbBrI₂ PNC-based LEDs has also been effectively improved by using a Ag-Bi bilayer anode.

Light extraction from quantum dot light emitting diodes by multiscale nanostructures

Improving the light extraction efficiency by introducing optical-functional structures outside of quantum dot light emitting diodes (QLEDs) for further enhancing the external quantum efficiency (EQE) is essential for their application in display and lighting industries. Although the efficiency of QLEDs has been optimized by controlling the synthesis of the quantum dots, the low outcoupling efficiency is indeed unresolved because of total internal reflections, waveguides and metal surface absorptions within the device. Here, we utilize multiscale nanostructures attached to the outer surface of the glass substrate to extract the trapped light from the emitting layers of QLEDs. The result indicates that both the EQE and luminance are improved from 12.29% to 17.94% and 122 400 cd m^-2 to 178 700 cd m^-2, respectively. The maximum EQE and current efficiency improve to 21.3% and 88.3 cd A^-1, respectively, which are the best performances among reported green QLEDs with light outcoupling nanostructures. The improved performance is ascribed to the elimination of total internal reflection by multiscale nanostructures attached to the outer surface of the QLEDs. Additionally, the simulation results of the finite-difference time domain (FDTD) also demonstrate that the light trapping effect is reduced by the multiscale nanostructures. The design of novel light outcoupling nanostructures for further improving the efficiency of QLEDs can promote their application in display and lighting industries.

Three-Dimensional Perovskite Nanophotonic Wire Array-Based Light-Emitting Diodes with Significantly Improved Efficiency and Stability

Hybrid perovskites have emerged as promising candidates for highly efficient light-emitting diodes in the past few years due to their excellent crystallinity, high color purity, wide-range bandgap tunability, and solution processability. However, the reported device external quantum efficiency has not reached the level on par with that of conventional inorganic and organic light-emitting diodes. Moreover, device stability still needs substantial improvement. In this work, we demonstrate the fabrication of perovskite nanophotonic wire array-based light-emitting diodes with a capillary-effect-assisted template method. Compared with the planar control device, the nanostructured device demonstrates 45% improvement of external quantum efficiency from 11% to 16% owing to substantial enhancement on device light extraction efficiency verified by optical modeling. Intriguingly, it is also discovered that the nanostructured device possesses 3.89 times lifetime compared to the planar control device, due to effective template passivation. The results here have clearly shown that with a proper photonic device structure design, both the device performance and lifetime can be significantly improved.

Influence of indium-tin-oxide and emitting-layer thicknesses on light outcoupling of perovskite light-emitting diodes

Metal halide perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) are emerging as a promising candidate for next-generation optoelectronic devices. The efficiency of PeLEDs has developed explosively in a short time, but their overall efficiency is still low. This is strongly related to the high refractive indexes of indium-tin-oxide (ITO) and perovskite emitting layers. Various outcoupling strategies are being introduced to outcouple the light trapped inside the layers. However, the proposed methods have experimental challenges that need to be overcome for application to large-area electronics. Based on optical simulations, we demonstrate that the thicknesses of the ITO and perovskite layers are key parameters to improve the outcoupling efficiency of PeLEDs. In addition, the optical energy losses of PeLEDs can be reduced significantly by properly adjusting the thicknesses of the two layers. This leads to outstanding optical performance with a maximum EQE greater than 20% without using any other external outcoupling strategies.

High-Efficiency Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes with Synergetic Outcoupling Enhancement

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (PeLEDs) show great application potential in high-quality flat-panel displays and solid-state lighting due to their steadily improved efficiency, tunable colors, narrow emission peak, and easy solution-processing capability. However, because of high optical confinement and nonradiative charge recombination during electron-photon conversion, the highest reported efficiency of PeLEDs remains far behind that of their conventional counterparts, such as inorganic LEDs, organic LEDs, and quantum-dot LEDs. Here a facile route is demonstrated by adopting bioinspired moth-eye nanostructures at the front electrode/perovskite interface to enhance the outcoupling efficiency of waveguided light in PeLEDs. As a result, the maximum external quantum efficiency and current efficiency of the modified cesium lead bromide (CsPbBr₃ ) green-emitting PeLEDs are improved to 20.3% and 61.9 cd A^-1 , while retaining spectral and angular independence. Further reducing light loss in the substrate mode using a half-ball lens, efficiencies of 28.2% and 88.7 cd A^-1 are achieved, which represent the highest values reported to date for PeLEDs. These results represent a substantial step toward achieving practical applications of PeLEDs.