Extracting internal modes of top emission organic light emitting diodes by using internal random mesoscopic wrinkles

Curved Mirror Arrays for Light Extraction in Top-Emitting Organic Light-Emitting Diodes

The light outcoupling efficiency of a top-emitting organic light-emitting diode (OLED) is only about 20%, and the majority of the light is trapped in the waveguide modes and surface plasmon polariton (SPP) modes. Extracting the trapped modes can reduce the device power consumption and improve the operating lifetime. In this study, we demonstrate a top-emitting OLED structure with a dielectric spacer to suppress the SPP mode and with a patterned back mirror to extract the waveguide modes. We examine and compare several curved mirror arrays and conclude that a micromirror array (μMA) can efficiently extract the waveguide modes while minimizing the absorption loss. The optimized μMA device with a semi-transparent top electrode shows a 36% external quantum efficiency, 2 times higher than the referenced device. This optical design can be easily incorporated into a top-emitting device and has a great potential for displays and lighting applications.

Design and fabrication of hybrid MLAs/gratings for the enhancement of light extraction efficiency and distribution uniformity of OLEDs

Extracting light from organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) and improving the angular distribution are essential for their commercial applications in illumination and displays. In this work, hybrid microlens arrays (MLAs) and gratings with periods and depths in the scale of submicron have been designed and incorporated on the lighting surface of OLEDs for simultaneous enhancement of light outcoupling efficiency and angular distribution improvement. It is found that the augmentation of light extraction efficiency is mainly attributed to the MLAs, while the gratings can improve the viewing angle by increasing the angular distribution uniformity. A novel approach was proposed by combining photoresist thermal reflow, soft-lithography and plasma treatments on polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) surfaces synergistically to realize gratings on the wavy surface of MLAs. It has been proved that with the hybrid MLAs/gratings, the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the OLED can reach up to 22.8%, which increased by 24% compared to that of bare OLED. Moreover, the OLED with the hybrid MLAs/gratings showed an obvious lateral enhancement at wider viewing angle.