The University of Florida is seeking companies interested in pursuing an innovative technology that enhances the efficiency and longevity of organic light emitting devices (OLEDs) for both lighting and display applications. Although the internal efficiency of some high-quality OLEDs can be close to 100 percent normally only about 20 percent of the light generated in an OLED can escape the device in the forward viewing directions. Various methods have been invented to enhance the light extraction efficiencies which generally lead to 30 to 40 percent of the light escaping the device. The technology described here can potentially lead to the extraction of up to 80 percent of all the light generated in an OLED more than doubling the efficiencies of the current methods. This light extraction mechanism can be manufactured using high throughput and low cost printing methods and can be attached with little or no damage to an existing OLED device. In addition there is no effect on the internal electrical performance levels of the device. This increased efficiency can be applied to any monochromatic emission device full-color display or white-light-emitting OLED used as solid-state lighting sources. This technique can also be combined with thin-film encapsulation methods to further prolong the lifetime of the OLEDs. Application: A technique which can be universally applied to OLEDs of all colors to increase the overall device efficiency and lifetime by achieving a four-fold increase in the light extraction efficiency which is more than doubled over the existing light extraction methods.
1) OLEDs can maintain the same level of luminance at much lower voltage and current levels significantly reducing the energy consumption and operation costs 2) Reduced energy needs increases lifespan of OLEDs by more than four times making these devices more cost-effective and affordable in long-term projections 3) A four-fold increase in light extraction efficiency does not affect internal efficiency allowing the OLED to maintain extremely high internal efficiency levels while simultaneously improving external efficiency 4) This light extraction mechanism can be included in current manufacturing processes saving time and money by utilizing existing device fabrication techniques 5) Decreased energy consumption significantly decreases the environmental impact of owning and operating OLEDs a benefit for conscious consumers and businesses