Enhancing light extraction efficiency in MDMO-PPV based OLEDs by incorporating SiO2-250 nm colloidal crystals

In this work, an improvement in light extraction efficiency from MDMO-PPV based OLEDs by using colloidal crystals is demonstrated. The optimal SiO2 sphere diameter for the colloidal crystal was calculated by the Plane Wave Expansion Method (PWEM), taking into account the dispersion relation of the system formed by a face-centered cubic colloidal crystal (FCC) infiltrated within the luminescent polymer MDMO-PPV. The fabrication method of such a polymer layer with a photonic crystal beneath by spin coating was proved and patented. Therefore, devices with the structure ITO/PEDOT/MDMO-PPV+SiO2 colloidal crystal/Ag were elaborated. Compared with standard OLEDs containing a single MDMO-PPV luminescent layer, the external quantum efficiency of devices modified with a colloidal crystal matrix within the MDMO-PPV layer shows a significant increment, as evaluated from the optical power as a function of applied bias for both kinds of devices.