Manipulating Luminescence of Light Emitters by Photonic Crystals

• Published in: Advanced materials (Weinheim) Vol. 30; no. 47; pp. e1803362 - n/a
• Main Authors: Wu, Suli, Xia, Hongbo, Xu, Jiahui, Sun, Xiaoqian, Liu, Xiaogang
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Germany Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01-11-2018
• Subjects: Crystal structure; Crystals; Doppler effect; Emission analysis; Emissions control; Emitters; Light; Light emission; light emitters; local density of optical states; Luminescence; Luminous intensity; Materials science; nanostructure; Organic light emitting diodes; Photonic crystals; Refractivity; Spontaneous emission; nanostructure; luminescence; photonic crystals; local density of optical states; light emitters
• ISSN: 0935-9648; 1521-4095
• DOI: 10.1002/adma.201803362

The modulation of luminescence is essential because unwanted spontaneous‐emission modes have a negative effect on the performance of luminescence‐based photonic devices. Photonic crystals are promising materials for the control of light emission because of the variation in the local density of optical modes within them. They have been widely investigated for the manipulation of the emission intensity and lifetime of light emitters. Several groups have achieved greatly enhanced emission by depositing emitters on the surface of photonic crystals. Herein, the different modulating effects of photonic crystal dimensions, light‐emitter positions, photonic crystal structure type, and the refractive index of photonic crystal building blocks are highlighted, with the aim of evaluating the fundamental principles that determine light propagation. The applications of using photonic crystals to manipulate spontaneous emission in light‐emitting diodes and sensors are also reviewed. In addition, potential future challenges and improvements in this field are presented.
The luminescence of light emitters can be effectively modulated by photonic crystals due to their varied local density of optical modes. Recent progress toward this strategy is reviewed, highlighting different effects enabled by the modulation of photonic crystal dimension, light‐emitter specific position, and photonic crystal structure type as well as their associated applications.