Review paper: Recent developments in light extraction technologies of organic light emitting diodes

Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) have rapidly progressed in recent years due to their potential applications in flat panel displays and solid-state lighting. In spite of the commercialization of OLEDs, they still have a low out-coupling efficiency of about 20% due to factors such as the total internal reflection, absorption, and surface plasmon coupling. This light out-coupling efficiency is a major limitation on the high efficiency levels of OLEDs. Hence, enhancing the light out-coupling efficiency of OLEDs offers the greatest potential for achieving a substantial increase in the external quantum efficiency and power efficiency of OLEDs. Accordingly, significant advancements in OLEDs have driven the development of light extraction technologies as well as highly transparent conducting electrode materials. Recent efforts to combine light extraction structures with the improved out-coupling efficiency of OLEDs have produced OLEDs with an efficiency level that matches the efficiency of a fluorescent tube (>100 lm/W). This paper reviews the technical issues and recent progress in light extraction technologies and discusses ways of enhancing the out-coupling efficiency of OLEDs.