Interplay of aspect ratio and emission dipole orientation for light extraction in corrugated red, green and blue OLEDs

Kovačič, Milan (author), Krč, Janez (author), Topič, Marko (author)

Using advanced optical modelling, we quantify how sinusoidal corrugation and emitter dipole orientation jointly govern light extraction from OLED thin-film stacks into a glass substrate for red, green, and blue emission. Irrespective of emission colour, the corrugation aspect ratio (AR = height/period) is the dominant geometric parameter controlling extraction, with absolute period and height playing secondary roles, as periods of 600–1000 nm deliver similar gains across all colours. Extraction peaks at AR ≈ 0.2 for predominantly horizontal dipoles, AR ≈ 0.5 for vertical dipoles, and AR ≈ 0.3 for isotropic orientations. For the isotropic case, extraction improves by up to 40%, 34%, and 20% relative to flat red, green, and blue devices, respectively. Absorption analysis attributes the principal gains to suppression of surface-plasmon-polariton losses of vertical dipoles, supported by local dipole reorientation, waveguide disruption, and scattering. Because practical texturing can alter dipole orientation, optimum conditions must be re-evaluated; if orientations follow the sinusoidal profile, an AR of approximately 0.2–0.3 is favoured for isotropic to moderately horizontal orientations, whereas higher ARs benefit strongly vertical orientations. The results provide guidelines for co-optimising corrugation geometry and dipole orientation for high-efficiency OLEDs

• Language: English
• Keywords: OLED, light extraction, optical modelling, finite element method, corrugations, anisotropy
• Work type: Article
• Typology: 1.01 - Original Scientific Article
• Organization: FE - Faculty of Electrical Engineering
• Publication status: Published
• Publication version: Version of Record
• Year: 2026
• Number of pages: 17 str.
• Numbering: Vol. 13, issue 3, art 287
• PID: 20.500.12556/RUL-180912
• UDC: 621.39
• ISSN on article: 2304-6732
• DOI: 10.3390/photonics13030287
• COBISS.SI-ID: 272246275
• Publication date in RUL: 19.03.2026

Record is a part of a journal

• Title: Photonics
• Shortened title: Photonics
• Publisher: MDPI AG
• ISSN: 2304-6732
• COBISS.SI-ID: 523331609

Licences

• License: CC BY 4.0, Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International
• Link: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
• Description: This is the standard Creative Commons license that gives others maximum freedom to do what they want with the work as long as they credit the author.

Secondary language

• Language: Slovenian
• Keywords: OLED, ekstrakcija svetlobe, optično modeliranje, metoda končnih elementov, reliefne strukture, anizotropija

Projects

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: P2-0415
• Name: Fotovoltaika in elektronika

• Funder: ARIS - Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency
• Project number: GC-0003
• Name: Nanostrukturirani hibridni polprevodniški materiali in naprave