To improve light extraction from organic light-emitting diodes(OLEDs), we introduced a photonic crystal pattern into the glass substrate of an OLED. The periodic modulation converts the guided waves in the high-refractive-index indium-tin-oxide/organic layers into external leaky waves. We used the finite-difference time-domain method to optimize the structural parameters of the photonic crystal pattern and to analyze the microcavity effect by the metallic cathode of the OLED. With the use of an optimized photonic crystal pattern, an increase of over 80% in the extraction efficiency of the OLED is expected theoretically. An increase in the extraction efficiency of over 50% was achieved experimentally, without detriment to the crucial electrical properties of the OLED.
There have been various efforts to increase the extraction efficiency of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).The extraction efficiency is related to the intrinsic photoluminescence efficiency of the organic material and to the output coupling efficiency of the sandwiched indium-tin-oxide(ITO)/organic layers. The intrinsic efficiency has been considerably improved by the use of phosphorescent harvesters1. However, the output coupling efficiency in these systems remains very small(<0.2).
The photons emitted in the active region of OLEDs are coupled into three types of modes: direct transmission into the air, the glass total internal reflection mode, and the high-index (ITO/organic) guided mode. Assuming Lambertian light sources, the fractions of energy in the three modes have been estimated as 0.2, 0.3, and 0.5, respectively2 .A number of methods have been suggested for increasing the output coupling efficiency. For example, random textures or ordered microlens arrays have been employed on the top surface of the glass substrate in order to minimize total internal reflection3, 4. The thickness of the ITO layer has also been controlled in order to reduce the energy in the high-index layer5. An integrated classical and quantum-mechanical weak microcavity theory has been proposed in order to calculate the efficiencies of each mode for OLED layered structure6. Photonic crystal (PC) patterns have previously been used with the aim of increasing the extraction efficiency of two-dimensional (2-D) slab InGaAs light-emitting structures7. Similarly, PC structure can be added to OLED devices. Here, we plan to couple with external modes those photons confined in the high-index guided mode, which account for up to 50% of the total emitted energy. Given that the direct transmission mode drains only 20% of the total photons, significant improvement is expected in the total light extraction into the air. It is important to extract the photons from the high index layer that is close to the light-emitting region if one wishes to maintain the image quality required in display devices.