Improved Light Outcoupling and Mode Analysis of Top-Emitting OLEDs on Periodically Corrugated Substrates

摘要

Bragg scattering by one dimensional periodic structures is investigated in order to enhance the outcoupling efficiency of optically optimized planar top-emitting OLEDs. Using a soft imprint process, we fabricate extremely homogeneous gratings with sub-μm period. These gratings are integrated beneath the bottom contact of topemitting OLEDs, without a ecting the electrical device performance. The re ective contacts of the top emission geometry introduce pronounced micro-cavity e ects for directly outcoupled and internally trapped light modes. Bragg scattering of the trapped waveguided and surface plasmon modes into the air cone, i.e. the forward direction, leads to interference with the directly outcoupled mode. As a result, constructive and destructive interference of the modes is detected and analyzed. Overall, we find that the introduction of shallow one dimensional sub-μm periodic grating structures underneath top-emitting OLEDs leads to an EQE and luminous efficacy enhancement by up to 42%.