Light Extraction Efficiency Research Articles

The transmission modulation effect of patterns on the light extraction of ultraviolet-C light emitting diodes

The AlGaN-based ultraviolet-C light emitting diodes (UVC LEDs) exhibit low light extraction efficiency (LEE), and patterning substrate surfaces is considered an effective solution. In this work, a simplified model based on the light extraction process of typical flip-chip UVC LEDs is proposed, which accelerates the simulations and illustrates the transmission process of patterned substrates more clearly. It is found that, different from the case in InGaN-based visible LEDs, the patterns on the substrate surfaces of UVC LEDs enhance the LEE by modulating the transmittance. The effects of sub-micron patterns are also studied, and the results suggest that the effects of LEE enhancement from different-scaled patterns vary little, unless the scale is decreased below a certain threshold so that the LEE decreases significantly. The results also show that AlN substrates can exhibit a 33% relative LEE enhancement if properly patterned, in contrast to the 18% enhancement in the case of sapphire. The proposed models and the acquired conclusions should be of help in designing UVC LEDs with high efficiency, especially for those on AlN substrates.

Effect of the self-aligned etching thin p-GaN layer on the performance of AlGaN-based DUV LEDs with various chip sizes

The light extraction efficiency (LEE) for deep ultraviolet light-emitting diodes (DUV LEDs) is significantly sacrificed by the absorption of the p-GaN layer. In this work, the self-aligned etching process is employed to laterally over-etched periphery thin p-GaN under the p-electrode by 10 µm to further improve the performance of AlGaN-based LEDs with various chip sizes. We find that when compared with reference devices with chip sizes of 40 × 40 µm2, 60 × 60 µm2 and 100 × 100 µm2, the optical power levels for the proposed DUV LEDs are enhanced by 16.66%, 11.41% and 7%, respectively. The most optical power enhancement can be obtained for the 40 × 40 µm2 DUV micro-LED chip. Hence, it is indicated that the laterally over-etched p-GaN design is more effective in increasing the LEE for DUV LEDs with reduced chip size. This shows the potential of the self-aligned etching p-GaN process in enhancing the LEE of DUV micro-LEDs. In addition, the lateral over-etched thin p-GaN suppresses the carrier diffusion to the device edge, which reduces the diffusion capacitance therein, hence leading to an increased −3 dB bandwidth to 55.4 MHz from 75.9 MHz for the packaged device of 100 × 100 µm2.

Bio-material-based deformable out-coupling film with UV-blocking properties for stabilized organic light-emitting diodes

In multilayer organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), 70% of the generated light is lost due to differences in the refractive indices, resulting in total internal reflection. Therefore, external light-extraction films that can easily enhance efficiency are being researched. However, most of these films use petroleum-based polymers, raising waste disposal concerns. Additionally, ultraviolet (UV) light degrades organic materials. Hence, UV protection is essential for mitigating this damage. This study fabricated an eco-friendly external light-extraction film with UV-blocking capabilities using carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) and sodium lignosulfonate (LS) extracted from plants. The phenolic groups in LS absorb UV light, while the sulfonate groups enhance its hydrophilicity, rendering it soluble in water. Therefore, a simple process was employed by casting a CMC-LS solution onto a microlens-array (MLA) template to fabricate a CMC-LS MLA film. The CMC-LS MLA film achieved 90% transmittance in the visible light range and exhibited excellent UV-blocking capabilities, simultaneously enhancing the lifespan of the OLED and improving the light-extraction efficiency by 30%.

Enhanced light extraction by optimizing near-infrared perovskite-based light emitting diode (PeLED)

One of the outstanding optoelectronic devices is perovskite-based light emitting diodes (PeLEDs) that have diverse applications according to the wavelength of produced light. However, these devices have shown more than 20% External Quantum Efficiency (EQE), in comparison with their counterparts (OLEDs), light extraction is limited in these devices. In this paper, by optimizing the thickness of layers and manipulating absorption in the active layer (AL), the light extraction efficiency (LEE) increased by nearly 20%. It reached 42.89% in the near-infrared (NIR) region of the wavelength, by considering the CH(NH2)2PbI3 perovskite, in the emissive layer (EML).

Resonant structure for improved directionality and extraction of single photons

Abstract Fluorescent atomic defects, particularly in dielectric materials such as diamond, are promising for several emerging quantum applications. However, efficient light extraction, directional emission, and narrow spectral emission are key challenges. We have designed a dielectric metasurface exploiting Mie-resonance and Kerker conditions to address these issues. Our designed diamond metasurface, tailored for nitrogen-vacancy (NV) defect centers in diamond, predicts up to 500x improvement in the collection of 637 nm (zero phonon line) photons over that from the bare diamond. Our design achieves highly directional emission, predominantly emitting in a 20° lobe in the forward direction. This makes the light collection more efficient, including fiber-based collection. The predicted results are stable against the position of the emitter placed in the metaelement, thus alleviating the challenging fabrication requirement of precise positioning of the defect center. Equally importantly, our design approach can be applied to enhance single photon emission also from other defects such as SiV, other materials such as hBN, and other sources such as quantum dots.

Optimization on the design of nano-patterned ZnS:Cu LED surface using FDTD simulation

Communication technology is one of the most important parts of human history and is fast developing. Visible Light Communication (VLC) can be categorized as a Light Fidelity (Li-Fi) communication that uses visible light through a Light Emitting Diode (LED) to transfer data and information. Even though LEDs are considered as very good light sources, they also have problems with effectiveness, which is influenced by their surface structures. The LEDs must also be able to focus the transmitted data and greatly reduce the signal-to-noise ratio. One of the problems encountered with LEDs is the presence of Total Internal Reflection (TIR) due to the large difference in refractive index between the LED and air, which causes photons to be trapped in the LED. Some trapped photons' energy may change into heat, thus reducing the LED's Light Extraction Efficiency (LEE). Using nanopatterns on the surface of LEDs is one way to reduce TIR on LEDs and enhance photon extraction from LEDs. Many parameters can influence the performance of nanopatterns on LEDs, so modelling efforts are needed before fabrication to save time and cost. Ansys Lumerical FDTD can be used to simulate and model the effects of nanopatterns on LED surfaces on LEE and beam focusing effect. In this study, simulations were carried out using Ansys Lumerical FDTD with variations in nanopattern shape parameters in the form of grating, blaze grating, triangular grating, and hemisphere. Apart from that, variations were also made to the height and width parameters of the grating to see the effect of these parameters on the efficiency of the LED. The FDTD simulation codes were validated using the Ansys database. The optimization results show that the most optimum shape is the grating nanopattern with a width of 216 nm and a height of 300 nm, which produces a peak wavelength of 480 nm in the far field pattern and has the highest increase in the LEE of 300 times in ±15° and 5500 times in ±5°. The huge spike in LEE enhancement at ±5° indicates that the nanopattern caused a focusing effect. The simulation results were compared using previous experimental data of Fabricated ZnS:Cu LED. It is shown that the simulation results are in line with the experimental data. The result shows that the simulation is very useful in designing the nano-patterned ZnS:Cu LED surface to achieve the best performance in the LEE and LED focusing effect for a specific application such as the VLC.

Numerical investigation on the polarization-dependent light extraction of 275-nm AlGaN based nanowire with bowtie antenna array or passivation layer

Abstract The low light extraction efficiency (LEE) is one of the major factors hindering the application of AlGaN based deep ultraviolet (DUV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Here we investigate the LEE of AlGaN based nanowire (NW) DUV LEDs emitting at 275 nm for bare NW, NW integrated with aluminum (Al) bowtie antenna array, and NW with passivation layer under transverse-electric (TE) and transverse-magnetic (TM) polarization. It is observed that by integrating plasmonic Al bowtie antenna array with AlGaN based NW, the LEE up to 83% and 74% can be achieved under TE and TM polarization. In addition, the effect of the three different passivation layer SiO2, SiNx and AlN on the LEE of AlGaN based NW is also analysed, the results suggests that SiO2, which has smaller refractive index than NW core, could extract more photons from the NW and lead to large enhancement of LEE. For SiNx and AlN passivation layer, which has refractive index similar to the NW core, have strong coupling with the NW core, when the thickness of passivation layer satisfy resonance coupling conditions, the LEE could be achieved more than 80% for both TE and TM polarization. These integrated NW/antenna array and NW with passivation layer system can provide guidelines for designing other nano-photonic devices.

Development of fin-LEDs for next-generation inorganic displays using face-selective dielectrophoretic assembly

Micro-light-emitting diodes offer vibrant colors and energy-efficient performance, holding promise for next-generation inorganic displays. However, their widespread adoption requires the development of cost-effective chips and low-defect pixelation processes. Addressing these challenges, nanorod-light-emitting diodes utilize inkjet and dielectrophoretic assembly techniques. Nevertheless, the small volume and edge-directed emission of nanorod-light-emitting diodes necessitate brightness and light extraction improvements. As an alternative, we propose dielectrophoretic-friendly fin-light-emitting diodes, designed to enhance brightness and light extraction efficiency through face-selective dielectrophoretic assembly technology. Our results confirm the potential for next-generation inorganic displays, with a wafer utilization ratio exceeding 90%, a vertical assembly ratio of 91.3%, and a pixel production yield of 99.93%. Moreover, blue fin-light-emitting diodes achieve an external quantum efficiency of 9.1% and a brightness of 8640 cd m−2 at 5.0 V, which, even at this early stage, are comparable to existing technologies.

Size-dependent competitive effect between surface recombination and self-heat on efficiency droop for 250 nm AlGaN-based DUV LEDs.

In this work, electrical and optical performances for 250 nm AlGaN-based flip-chip deep ultraviolet light emitting diodes (DUV LEDs) with different chip sizes are studied. Reduced chip size helps increase the light extraction efficiency (LEE) with the cost of increased surface nonradiative recombination. Nevertheless, a thin p-Al0.67-0Ga0.33-1N layer of 10 nm can manage current distribution while suppressing surface recombination and reducing light absorption simultaneously, which results in the increased optical power density. Thanks to the better current management and reduced optical self-absorption effect, the reduced Joule heating effect suppresses the thermal droop of the optical power density for a small DUV LED chip. We also find that the p-Al0.67-0Ga0.33-1N layer thickness shows very significant impact on device resistance especially for the small DUV LED chip, such that the device resistance has a remarkable increase when the p-Al0.67-0Ga0.33-1N layer is thickened to 100 nm.

Modulation of Charge Transport Layer for Perovskite Light-Emitting Diodes.

Perovskite light-emitting diodes (Pero-LEDs) have garnered significant attention due to their exceptional emission characteristics, including narrow full width at half maximum, high color purity, and tunable emission colors. Recent efficiency and operational stability advancements have positioned Pero-LEDs as a promising next-generation display technology. Extensive research and review articles on the compositional engineering and defect passivation of perovskite layers have substantially contributed to the development of multi-color and high-efficiency Pero-LEDs. However, the crucial aspect of charge transport layer (CTL) modulation in Pero-LEDs remains relatively underexplored. CTL modulation not only impacts the charge carrier transport efficiency and injection balance but also plays a critical role in passivating the perovskite surface, blocking ion migration, enhancing perovskite crystallinity, and improving light extraction efficiency. Therefore, optimizing CTLs is pivotal for further enhancing Pero-LED performance. Herein, this review discusses the roles of CTLs in Pero-LEDs and categorizes both reported and potential CTL materials. Then, various CTL optimization strategies are presented, alongside an analysis of the selection criteria for CTLs in high-performance Pero-LEDs. Finally, a summary and outlook on the potential of CTL modulation to further advance Pero-LED performances are provided.

Direct band gap white light emission from charge carrier diffusion induced nanowire light-emitting diodes

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) have been investigated during the past decades, for which a major challenge is total internal reflection that limits the light extraction efficiency. ‘Nanotree’ LEDs elegantly solve this bottleneck. Lower band gap nanowire branches are grown on higher band gap core wires. Charge carriers diffuse into the branches and recombine there. Total internal reflection is impeded since the branch diameter is much smaller than the wavelength of light emitted from the material. Our ‘nanotree’ LEDs show direct band gap emission with color corresponding to the semiconductor materials composition. By stronger biasing of the core wires, we provoke white light emission without down-converting phosphors. The concept of nanoscale-enhanced charge carrier diffusion LEDs may be a game changer for industrial LED design.

Ultra-high brightness Micro-LEDs with wafer-scale uniform GaN-on-silicon epilayers

Owing to high pixel density and brightness, gallium nitride (GaN) based micro-light-emitting diodes (Micro-LEDs) are considered revolutionary display technology and have important application prospects in the fields of micro-display and virtual display. However, Micro-LEDs with pixel sizes smaller than 10 μm still encounter technical challenges such as sidewall damage and limited light extraction efficiency, resulting in reduced luminous efficiency and severe brightness non-uniformity. Here, we reported high-brightness green Micro-displays with a 5 μm pixel utilizing high-quality GaN-on-Si epilayers. Four-inch wafer-scale uniform green GaN epilayer is first grown on silicon substrate, which possesses a low dislocation density of 5.25 × 108 cm−2, small wafer bowing of 16.7 μm, and high wavelength uniformity (standard deviation STDEV < 1 nm), scalable to 6-inch sizes. Based on the high-quality GaN epilayers, green Micro-LEDs with 5 μm pixel sizes are designed with vertical non-alignment bonding technology. An atomic sidewall passivation method combined with wet treatment successfully addressed the Micro-LED sidewall damages and steadily produced nano-scale surface textures on the pixel top, which unlocked the internal quantum efficiency of the high-quality green GaN-on-Si epi-wafer. Ultra-high brightness exceeding 107 cd/m2 (nits) is thus achieved in the green Micro-LEDs, marking the highest reported results. Furthermore, integration of Micro-LEDs with Si-based CMOS circuits enables the realization of green Micro-LED displays with resolution up to 1080 × 780, realizing high-definition playback of movies and images. This work lays the foundation for the mass production of high-brightness Micro-LED displays on large-size GaN-on-Si epi-wafers.

Ultraviolet vertical thin-film light-emitting diode.

Vertical thin-film light-emitting diode (VTF-LED) adopts a GaN thin-film structure that confines light via the top GaN-air and the bottom GaN-metal interfaces. Such interfaces provide significantly higher optical reflectivity to promote optical confinement. As the structures are cladding-less, VTF-LED can be processed from simpler epitaxial structures comprising a p-n junction and the multi-quantum wells, directly leading to facile fabrication and lower manufacturing costs. Here, we demonstrate a 310-nm-thick ultraviolet VTF-LED, where precise control of the etching technique ensures electrical and optical performance. The emission wavelength was 382.9 nm with a spectrum width of 12 nm. Compared to VTF-LEDs with a submicron structure, the subwavelength VTF-LEDs exhibit a decrease in the number of guided modes and achieve a 1.7 times enhancement in peak external quantum efficiency. Subwavelength VTF-LEDs have been confirmed as an effective method for improving the light extraction efficiency (LEE) of AlGaN-based LEDs.

GaAs-based red micro-light-emitting diodes with an oxide perimeter region for improved external quantum efficiency

Red micro-light-emitting diodes (μ-LEDs) with AlGaInP/GaInP multiple quantum wells are fabricated with an oxide perimeter region to control the current injection path. When the values of the external quantum efficiency (EQE) of the 30 μm-size μ-LED with the oxide perimeter region are compared with those of the device without the oxide perimeter region, an improvement as high as 40% is observed at current densities &amp;lt;80 A/cm2. From the finite-difference time-domain simulation of the light-extraction efficiency (LEE), which shows that the LEE of the device with the oxide perimeter region is ∼12% smaller than that of the device without the oxide perimeter region, it can be seen that the increased EQE is attributed to the improvement of the internal quantum efficiency (IQE). Since the oxide perimeter region limits the current paths to the sidewalls of the μ-LED chips, the nonradiative recombination via sidewall defects is considered suppressed, resulting in the improvement of the IQE. The oxidation of the AlGaAs layer utilized in this work is easy to implement and accurately controllable, suitable for mass-production of high-efficiency red μ-LEDs for display applications.

Development of a localized surface plasmon-enhanced electron beam-pumped nanoscale light source for electron beam excitation-assisted optical microscopy.

We have demonstrated localized surface plasmon (LSP)-enhanced cathodoluminescence (CL) from an atomic layer deposition (ALD)-grown Al2O3/ZnO/Al2O3 heterostructure to develop a bright nanometer-scale light source for an electron beam excitation-assisted (EXA) optical microscope. Three types of metals, Ag, Al, and Au, were compared, and an 181-fold enhancement of CL emission was achieved with Ag nanoparticles (NPs), with the plasmon resonance wavelength close to the emission wavelength energy of ZnO. The enhanced emission is plausibly attributed to LSP/exciton coupling. However, it is also attributed to an increase in coupling efficiency with penetration depth and also to an increase in light extraction efficiency by grading the refractive indices at the heterostructure.

Anomalous reflection for highly efficient subwavelength light concentration and extraction with photonic funnels

Abstract Photonic funnels, microscale conical waveguides that have been recently realized in the mid-IR spectral range with the help of an all-semiconductor designer metal material platform, are promising devices for efficient coupling of light between the nanoscales and macroscales. Previous analyses of photonic funnels have focused on structures with highly conductive claddings. Here, we analyze the performance of funnels with and without cladding, as a function of material properties, operating wavelength, and geometry. We demonstrate that bare (cladding-free) funnels enable orders-of-magnitude higher enhancement of local intensity than their clad counterparts, with virtually no loss of confinement, and relate this phenomenon to anomalous reflection of light at the anisotropic material–air interface. Intensity enhancement of the order of 25, with confinement of light to wavelength/20 scale, is demonstrated. Efficient extraction of light from nanoscale areas is predicted.

Enhanced forward emission by backside mirror design in micron-sized LEDs.

Tiny InGaN micro-LEDs (μ-LEDs) play a pivotal role in emerging display technologies, particularly augmented reality (AR) applications. Achieving both high internal quantum efficiency (IQE) and efficient light extraction efficiency (LEE) is essential. While wet chemical etching can recover the IQE after dry etching, it alters the pixel shape, impacting optical properties and reducing the LEE. In this study, we overcome this issue by fabricating 1 μm thin-film-based μ-LED emitter arrays with a metallic backside mirror deposited on a patterned dielectric material around the μ-LED mesa. This concave mirror can be straightforwardly integrated into a thin-film LED process chain, and it redirects photons within the μ-LED structure, enhancing the LEE in the forward direction. Electro-optical measurements show a 2.1-fold improvement in light output within the ±15∘ emission cone compared to μ-LEDs with vertical sidewalls. These findings hold significant implications for μ-LED projection displays, where maximizing the overall efficiency and directionality is critical.

Study of hybrid nanoscatterer for enhancing light efficiency of quantum dot-converted light-emitting diodes

Optical scatterer additives play a critical role in enhancing the light conversion efficiency and uniformity of quantum dot-converted light-emitting diodes (Qc-LEDs). This study investigates the impact of optical characteristics and morphology of nanoscatterer on the light conversion and extraction efficiency of Qc-LEDs. Various metal oxides and boron nitride nanoparticles and nanoplates with different diffraction index were selected to carry out the study. Finite-Difference Time-Domain (FDTD) simulation was employed to evaluate the scattering effect of various nanosphere and nanoplate scatterers on the optical performance of the Qc-LEDs. The simulation results revealed that the hybrid nanoscatterer integrates the forward-scattering from the nanosphere and backward-scattering of blue light from the nanoplate. Spectral analysis was conducted to examine the optical performance of Qc-LEDs with varying combinations and concentrations of nanoscatterers. TiO2 nanoparticles and Al2O3 nanoplates were found to be the best combination for maximal light conversion and extraction efficiency within Qc-LEDs. The results indicate an optimal light efficiency is obtained with the optimal ratio of 1:2:2 for quantum dots, TiO2 nanoparticles, and Al2O3 nanoplates. These findings reveal the relationship between optical properties, morphology, and light conversion efficiency in Qc-LEDs, highlighting the advantages of the hybrid nanoscatterers for improving optical performance of Qc-LEDs.

Sensitivity optimization of monolithic integrated refractive index sensor based on grating LED

In this study, we present a potential ultra-thin refractive index sensor model that utilizes a monolithically integrated gallium nitride-based light-emitting diode platform. This light-emitting diode not only emits light but also detects changes in refractive index. The sensitivity of this sensor is defined as the response of light extraction efficiency to unit changes in refractive index. We have incorporated a one-dimensional grating on the surface of the light-emitting diode to investigate the effects of the grating’s modulation on the light field and the sensor’s sensitivity.Through strategic optimization of the grating structure, we have significantly enhanced the sensitivity of the sensor. Our results indicate that, compared to a conventional flat light-emitting diode, the optimized grating structure increases the light extraction efficiency by approximately 2 to 3 times. Furthermore, the sensitivity of the sensor has achieved a maximal enhancement of up to 41-fold.The device offers a compact design and demonstrates high levels of light extraction efficiency and sensitivity, making it highly suitable for monolithic integration in optical sensing applications. This advancement provides a substantial contribution to the field of optical sensing, indicating promising potential for future research and application.

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).