I-Corps: Fourth Wall Optics

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The broader impact/commercial potential of this I-Corps project is to explore translation of Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) and other LEDs. The use of Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (VR/AR) goggles is growing in education, industrial usage, and entertainment. More efficient and brighter displays would greatly increase the functionality of these devices. High-efficiency displays would enable mobile goggles without a need to be connected to an external power source. Brighter OLED displays with higher resolution would be especially important for AR to enable outdoor usage. LEDs for general purpose lighting are already the most energy efficient and longest lasting sources. The proposed technology would further increase the energy efficiency of these bulbs even further. Brighter light sources could also be used in specialty applications, such as projector lamps, automobiles, or holographic displays.This I-Corps project is based on technology to improve a light emitting diode. Light extraction from Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLEDs) and other LEDs is limited because the light-emitting material and other constituent layers of the device have higher indices of refraction than air. This leads to total internal reflection and loss of generated light, reducing the efficiency and potentially reducing the operating lifetime. Optics developed from metamaterials (meta-optics) can control generated light in a manner unachievable with conventional optics. By steering light away from the modes leading to total internal reflection, new levels of light emission efficiency can be achieved. The proposed technique offers relatively simple integration with existing technology, along with compatibility with many existing fabrication schemes for OLEDs and LEDs.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.