Enhancing light outcoupling of organic light-emitting devices by locating emitters around the second antinode of the reflective metal electrode

Due to generally low conductivity and low carrier mobilities of organic materials, organic light-emitting devices (OLEDs) are typically optimized for light outcoupling by locating emitters around the first antinode of the metal electrode. In this letter, by utilizing device structures containing conductive doping, we investigate theoretically and experimentally the influences of the location of emitters relative to the metal electrode on OLED emission, and show that substantial enhancement in light outcoupling (1.2 times) or forward luminance (1.6 times) could be obtained by placing emitters around the second antinode instead of the first antinode. Depending on the detailed condition, the second-antinode device may also give more directed emission as often observed in strong-microcavity devices yet without suffering a color shift with viewing angles. © 2006 American Institute of Physics.