Polymer LEDs with improved efficacy via periodic nanostructure-based aluminum

Periodic aluminum-capped nanoslit arrays were produced on a polycarbonate plastic substrate by rapid hot embossing nanoimprint lithography and thermal evaporation, and they were used as a transparent window for blue-emitting polymer light-emitting diodes (PLEDs). The external quantum efficiency of blue-emitting PLEDs was enhanced by the surface plasmon polaritons of the periodic aluminum-capped nanoslit arrays. A maximum current efficiency of 4.84 cd/A was achieved for the proposed PLED, which was over 2.2 times that of the reference PLED (2.18 cd/A). These results demonstrate that periodic nanostructure can assist in the simple and low-cost fabrication of high-performance polymer optoelectronic devices.