Open AccessEnhancing surface plasmon leakage at the metal/semiconductor interface: towards increased light outcoupling efficiency in organic optoelectronics
Author(s) -
Jesse Kohl,
Joseph A. Pantina,
Deirdre M. O’Carroll
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
optics express
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.394
H-Index - 271
ISSN - 1094-4087
DOI - 10.1364/oe.22.007644
Subject(s) - materials science , surface plasmon polariton , optoelectronics , surface plasmon , semiconductor , plasmon , leakage (economics) , optics , organic semiconductor , polariton , localized surface plasmon , wavelength , physics , economics , macroeconomics
The light outcoupling efficiency of organic light-emitting optoelectronic devices is severely limited by excitation of tightly bound surface plasmon polaritons at the metal electrodes. We present a theoretical study of an organic semiconductor-silver-SiO(2) waveguide and demonstrate that by simple tuning of metal film thickness and the emission regime of the organic semiconductor, a significant fraction of surface plasmon polariton mode amplitude is leaked into the active semiconductor layer, thereby decreasing the amount of optical energy trapped by the metal. At visible wavelengths, mode leakage increases by factors of up to 3.8 and 88 by tuning metal film thickness and by addition of gain, respectively.