Simulation study on the optical structures for improving the outcoupling efficiency of organic light-emitting diodes

In this study, optical simulation was used to compare three optical structures that could be applied to the typical organic light-emitting diode to increase the outcoupling efficiency. These were spherical scattering particles (treated as Mie scatterers) embedded in the glass substrate, microlenses formed on the glass substrate, and a diffusing layer (DL) with a Gaussian scattering distribution function inserted between the indium tin oxide (ITO) and the glass substrate. It was found that the application of microlens array and that of scattering particles in the glass substrate exhibited similar enhancements in the outcoupling efficiency when the density and the refractive index of the scattering particles were optimized. The DL located at the interface between the glass and the ITO further enhanced the efficiency because it could further extract the trapped light in the waveguide mode. The appropriate combination of these three structures increased the outcoupling efficiency to about 42%, which is much greater than the typical values of 15-20% when there is no optical structure for light extraction.