Glareless light-emitting diode lighting tube

We develop a novel light bar waveguide design to produce a glareless light-emitting diode (LED) lighting tube. We design optimal parameters, such as the gap y between the tube and the reflective surface, the relative distance x between the lens and the LED, and so on. Using these parameters, we fabricate an illumination system consisting of LED light bulb installed at both ends of lighting tube. The lighting tube is shaped the same as a traditional fluorescent lighting tube in order to replace traditional lighting tubes without the modification of the lighting stand. The LED lighting tube is glareless to the observer from the side view.     

Microlens array diffuser for a light-emitting diode backlight system

Microlens array (MLA) diffusers for light-emitting diode (LED) backlight systems have been developed. A high fill-factor photoresist mold for the MLA was fabricated using three-dimensional diffuser lithography, and the patterns were transferred to a nickel master mold for UV-curable polymer replication. The fabricated microlens had various paraboloidal profiles, and its aspect ratio was controlled from 1.0 to 2.1. The MLA diffuser showed a batwing radiation pattern with a radiation angle of 150 degrees. The fabricated MLA diffuser may greatly enhance the color-mixing characteristics of LED backlight systems and help reduce the number of LEDs required.     

Efficient and compact reflective-type encapsulation module for high-power light-emitting diode

This paper presents a practical and effective reflective-type encapsulation module employing a high-power LED chip and a light concentrator with the advantages of high-performance and ultra-compactness. Linear-segment and cubic-spline (LSCS) synthesis method is proposed for the light concentrator design, the detailed of which is thoroughly investigated. Design results show that the reflective encapsulation module could not only reduce the irradiance non-uniformity from 28.72% down to 8.34% within the prescribed illumination region, but also minimize the optical dimension by 9.6%, which demonstrate both the effectiveness and robustness of the LSCS method. It is believed that there would be a huge market potential to commercialize this design.     

Efficient red organic light-emitting diode sensitized by a phosphorescent Ir compound

The efficiencies of red organic light-emitting diode (OLED) using tris-(8-hydroxy-quinoline)aluminum (Alq₃) as host and 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-t-butyl-6-(1,1,7,7-tetramethyljulolidyl-9-enyl)-4H-pyran (DCJTB) as dopant were greatly increased by adding a small amount (0.3 wt%) of Ir compound, iridium(III) bis(3-(2-benzothiazolyl)-7-(diethylamino)-2H-1-benzopyran-2-onato-N′,C⁴) (acetyl acetonate) (Ir(C6)₂(acac)), as a sensitizer. The device has a sandwiched structure of indium tin oxide (ITO)/4,4′,4″-tris(N-(2-naphthyl)-N-phenyl-amino)triphenylamine (T-NATA) (40 nm)/N,N′-bis(1-naphthyl)-N,N′-diphenyl-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′ diamine (NPB) (40 nm)/Alq₃:DCJTB (0.7 wt%):Ir(C6)₂(acac) (0.3 wt%) (40 nm)/Alq₃ (40 nm)/LiF (1 nm)/Al (120 nm). It can be seen that the current efficiencies of this device remained almost (13.8±1) cd/A from 0.1 to 20,000 cd/m² and the Commission International d’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates at (0.60, 0.37) in the range of wide brightness. The significant improvement was attributed to the sensitization effect of the doped Ir(C6)₂(acac), thus the energy of singlet and triplet excitons is simultaneously transferred to the DCJTB.     

Optical diffraction tomography microscopy with transport of intensity equation using a light-emitting diode array

Optical diffraction tomography (ODT) is an effective label-free technique for quantitatively refractive index imaging, which enables long-term monitoring of the internal three-dimensional (3D) structures and molecular composition of biological cells with minimal perturbation. However, existing optical tomographic methods generally rely on interferometric configuration for phase measurement and sophisticated mechanical systems for sample rotation or beam scanning. Thereby, the measurement is suspect to phase error coming from the coherent speckle, environmental vibrations, and mechanical error during data acquisition process. To overcome these limitations, we present a new ODT technique based on non-interferometric phase retrieval and programmable illumination emitting from a light-emitting diode (LED) array. The experimental system is built based on a traditional bright field microscope, with the light source replaced by a programmable LED array, which provides angle-variable quasi-monochromatic illumination with an angular coverage of ±37 degrees in both x and y directions (corresponding to an illumination numerical aperture of ∼0.6). Transport of intensity equation (TIE) is utilized to recover the phase at different illumination angles, and the refractive index distribution is reconstructed based on the ODT framework under first Rytov approximation. The missing-cone problem in ODT is addressed by using the iterative non-negative constraint algorithm, and the misalignment of the LED array is further numerically corrected to improve the accuracy of refractive index quantification. Experiments on polystyrene beads and thick biological specimens show that the proposed approach allows accurate refractive index reconstruction while greatly reduced the system complexity and environmental sensitivity compared to conventional interferometric ODT approaches.     

Invention,development, and status of the blue light-emitting diode,the enabler of solid-state lighting

The realization of the first high-brightness blue-light-emitting diodes (LEDs) in 1993 sparked a more than twenty-year period of intensive research to improve their efficiency. Solutions to critical challenges related to material quality, light extraction, and internal quantum efficiency have now enabled highly efficient blue LEDs that are used to generate white light in solid-state lighting systems that surpass the efficiency of conventional incandescent lighting by 15–20×. Here we discuss the initial invention of blue LEDs, historical developments that led to their current state-of-the-art performance, and potential future directions for blue LEDs and solid-state lighting.     

Efficient bright white organic light-emitting diode based on non-doped ultrathin 5,6,11,12-tetraphenylnaphthacene layer

High-performance undoped white organic light-emitting diode (OLED) has been fabricated using an ultrathin yellow-emitting layer of 5,6,11,12-tetraphenylnaphthacene (rubrene) inserted at two sides of interface between two N,N′-bis-(1-naphthyl)-N,N′- biphenyl-1,1′-biphenyl-4,4′- diamine (NPB) layers as a hole transporting and blue emissive layer, respectively. The results showed that a maximum luminance of the device reached to as high as 21,500 cd/m² at 15 V. The power efficiencies of 2.5 and 1.6 lm/W at a luminance of 1000 and 10000 cd/m², respectively, were obtained. The peaks of electroluminescent (EL) spectra locate at 429 and 560 nm corresponding to the Commissions Internationale De L’Eclairage (CIE) coordinates of (0.32, 0.33), which is independent of bias voltage. The performance enhancement of the device may result from direct charge carrier trapping in rubrene. Energy transfer mechanism was also found in the EL process.     

Efficient green-phosphorescent light-emitting diodes based on polymeric binary-host systems

The fabrication of the green polymer light-emitting diodes based on emission from the phosphorescent molecule fac tris(2-phenylpyridine) iridium doped into a polymeric binary-host is reported. The main host used in the PLEDs was a non-conjugated polymer, poly(9-vinyl carbazole) (PVK). To realize the balanced transport of the holes and the electrons, a conjugated polymer, poly(9,9-dioctylfluorene) (PFO) was used as the assisting host. According to the experimental results, we found that the PLEDs can achieve the balance in charge transport and the recombination zone is still confined in the emissive layer by controlling the ratio of PVK to PFO. The luminous efficiency is enhanced by >40% while the external quantum efficiency can be increased by >38% in a polymeric binary-host system as compared to those of traditional device configuration, which is attributed to the balanced transport of the charged carrier.     

可调色红光有机电致发光器件

介绍了具有可调节发光光谱的高效红光有机发光二极管(OLED)器件,利用具有高三重态能量的9.9-螺二芴二苯基氧化磷(SPPO1)作为发光层的主体材料及空穴阻挡层,二(1-苯基异喹啉)(乙酰丙酮)合铱(III) (Ir(piq)2(acac))作为客体发光材料,在发光层内SPPO1的能量分别由福斯特和迪克斯特传递到Ir(piq)2(acac)的单重态和三重态从而发出红色磷光,通过调节磷光客体材料的比例得到最优器件结构,从而得到具有较好发光效率和发光亮度并可调节色纯的有机发光二极管器件。     

可调色红光有机电致发光器件

介绍了具有可调节发光光谱的高效红光有机发光二极管(OLED)器件,利用具有高三重态能量的9.9-螺二芴二苯基氧化磷(SPPO1)作为发光层的主体材料及空穴阻挡层,二(1-苯基异喹啉)(乙酰丙酮)合铱(III) (Ir(piq)2(acac))作为客体发光材料,在发光层内SPPO1的能量分别由福斯特和迪克斯特传递到Ir(piq)2(acac)的单重态和三重态从而发出红色磷光,通过调节磷光客体材料的比例得到最优器件结构,从而得到具有较好发光效率和发光亮度并可调节色纯的有机发光二极管器件。     

2014年诺贝尔物理学奖给我们的启示

2014年诺贝尔物理学奖授予高效蓝色发光二极管,这是一项具有重大经济和社会效益的技术发明。文章讨论该届诺贝尔物理学奖及获奖人的经历给我们的启示,包括三位诺贝尔奖获得者的洞察力以及持续多年围绕一个重大问题攻关的精神;结合中国科技界现状,本文将着重探讨评价重大科研成果的标准,以及日本科研模式和企业文化中可供国内科技工作者借鉴的积极因素。     

The Monte-Carlo model of a light-emitting diode

The first complete Monte-Carlo model of a surface light-emitting diode is presented in this paper. In the model all important phenomena (including the two-dimensional diffusion of minority carriers before their recombination in the active region and the re-emission of radiation) are taken into account. The influence of various construction parameters on the external quantum efficiency of the homojunction GaAs diode is examined.     

Non-doped-type white organic light-emitting diodes for lighting purpose

We demonstrate a non-doped white organic light-emitting diode (WOLED) in which the blue-, green- and red-emissions are generated from 4,4′-bis(2,2′-diphenylvinyl)-1,1′-biphenyl, tris(8-hydroxyquinoline)aluminum (Alq) and 4-(dicyanomethylene)-2-t-butyl-6-(1,1,7,7-tetramethyl-julolidyl 9-enyl)-4H-pyran (DCJTB), which is used as an ultrathin layer. The DCJTB ultrathin layer plays the chromaticity tuning role in optimizing the white spectral band by modulating the location of the DCJTB ultrathin layer in the green emissive Alq layer. The optimized WOLED gives the Commission Internationale de l’Eclairage-1931 xy coordinates of (0.319, 0.335), a color rendering index of 91.2 at 10 V, a maximum brightness of 21010 cd/m² at 12 V and a maximum current efficiency of 5.17 cd/A at 6.6 V. The electroluminescence mechanism of the white device is also discussed.     

Phosphor-converted light-emitting diode based on ZnO-based heterojunction

A phosphor-converted light-emitting diode (LED) was realized by coating BaMg₂Al₁₆O₂₇:Eu²⁺·Mn²⁺ and (SrCaPO₄)·B₂O₃:Eu²⁺·Na⁺ phosphors onto an n-ZnO/i-MgO/p-GaN heterojunction diode. Two emission bands at around 450 and 520 nm were observed in the phosphor-converted LED under the injection of continuous current. By analyzing the optical properties of the heterojunction diode and phosphors, it is concluded that the emission at 450 nm comes from (SrCaPO₄)·B₂O₃:Eu²⁺·Na⁺ phosphor, while the one at 520 nm comes from BaMg₂Al₁₆O₂₇:Eu²⁺·Mn²⁺ phosphor under the excitation of the light emitted from the n-ZnO/i-MgO/p-GaN heterojunction diode. The results reported in this paper may provide a route to ZnO-based phosphor-converted LEDs for future lighting or displaying purpose.     

Analytical model of light-emitting diode with patterned contact

In this paper we develop an analytical model for the light-emitting diode (LED) with the metal p-contact patterned as an array of thin strips. The model is based on conformal mapping approach and accounts for the overlapped fringing electric fields created by the adjacent strips. We derive analytical expressions for the electric potential, current injected into the LED active region and power of light extracted via the openings in the pattern. Spatial distribution of electric potential and LED radiation pattern are calculated. Further investigations are necessary to elucidate the contribution of the side walls of the strips on the LED output performance.     

A light-emitting diode fabricated from horse-heart cytochrome c

We have fabricated a light-emitting diode from horse-heart cytochrome c and measured the electro-luminescence (EL) spectra. The spectra exhibit broad peaks around 530 and 690 nm, and a weak shoulder around 410 nm. The EL spectra are completely different from the photo-luminescence spectra previously reported. The appearance of the 690 nm emission band suggests the charge-transfer between the iron and the axial methionine ligand plays a crucial role in the electrical conduction in the cytochrome c film.     

Aluminum nitride substrates for ultraviolet light-emitting diode structures

Currently, wafers of aluminum nitride cut from bulk aluminum nitride crystals (AlN) grown by sublimation are considered promising substrates for obtaining light-emitting diode structures based on nitrides of the third group. In this study, the structural characteristics and electrical properties of AlN, as a prospective substrate material for light-emitting diode heterostructures based on AlGaN/GaN, were investigated. The substrate working surface ((0001) plane, Al-polar) was specifically prepared for epitaxial growth using chemical-mechanical polishing. The surface roughness (“epi-ready”), as estimated by atomic force microscopy, did not exceed 0.3 nm.     

Study on electroluminescence from porous silicon light-emitting diode

Porous silicon (PS) light-emitting diode (LED) with an ITO/PS/p-Si/Al structure was fabricated by anodic oxidation method. Photoluminescence (PL) of the PS LED was measured with a peak at 593 nm, and electroluminescence (EL) was measured with a peak at 556 nm under the conditions of 7.5-V forward bias and 210-mA current intensity. The spectral width of EL was measured to be about 160 nm.     

Flexible Ag electrode for quantum dot light-emitting diode

In this paper, we have fabricated quantum dot light-emitting diode (QD-LED) based on silver (Ag) electrode. The QD-LED with Ag electrode is demonstrated with decreased leakage current, improved luminous efficiency, low turn-on voltages, and saturated emission exhibiting the Commission Internationale de l’Enclairage coordinates of (0.59, 0.40). Meanwhile, compared to the QD-LED with indium tin oxide-coated polyethylene terephthalate electrode, the electroluminescence intensity was enhanced twice for QD-LED based on Ag electrode, and turn-on voltage was reduced to 4.7 V, which was attributed to the higher conductivity and better transmission of Ag electrode.