| Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1264745 | Organic Electronics | 2011 | 9 Pages |
Introduction of microstructures into an organic light-emitting device (OLED) is being considered as an effective approach to outcouple photons trapped in waveguide (WG) and surface plasmon-polariton (SPP) modes within the devices. However, the attempt has been hampered by the difficulty in applying lithographic patterning technologies on organic materials. Here, we show the end has been simply reached by one-step directly laser ablating the hole-transporting layer of the OLEDs without inducing any optical or electrical deterioration. Three times efficiency enhancement has been experimentally attained from the corrugated OLEDs, which has then been ascribed by numerical simulation to the efficient outcoupling of the SPP and WG modes to radiation.
Graphical abstractWe present here a schematic cross section of the OLED with periodic corrugation and its EL enhancement compared to the planer devices. There exist both SPP mode associated with the Al cathode/organic interface and WG mode confined within the ITO and organic layers. The photons trapped by both SPP and WG modes are recovered as light in far field through the Bragg scattering induced by the microstructure, which contributes to a much enhanced light extraction for the corrugated OLEDs.Figure optionsDownload full-size imageDownload as PowerPoint slideHighlights► Periodic corrugation has been fabricated by one-step directly laser ablation. ► Periodic corrugation has been introduced into OLEDs. ► Corrugated OLEDs exhibits three times efficiency enhancement. ► Both the waveguide and surface plasmon-polariton modes have been coupled out.
