A1 Refereed original research article in a scientific journal

Impact of light–matter coupling strength on the efficiency of microcavity OLEDs: a unified quantum master equation approach




AuthorsSiltanen, Olli; Luoma, Kimmo; Daskalakis, Konstantinos S.

PublisherRoyal Society of Chemistry (RSC)

Publication year2026

Journal: Materials Horizons

ISSN2051-6347

eISSN2051-6355

DOIhttps://doi.org/10.1039/d5mh01958c

Publication's open availability at the time of reportingOpen Access

Publication channel's open availability Partially Open Access publication channel

Web address https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2026/mh/d5mh01958c

Self-archived copy’s web addresshttps://research.utu.fi/converis/portal/detail/Publication/508916699

Self-archived copy's licenceCC BY

Self-archived copy's versionPublisher`s PDF


Abstract

Controlling light-matter interactions is emerging as a powerful strategy to enhance the performance of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs). By embedding the emissive layer in planar microcavities or other modified optical environments, excitons can couple to photonic modes, enabling new regimes of device operation. In the weak-coupling regime, the Purcell effect can accelerate radiative decay, while in the strong-coupling regime, excitons and photons hybridize to form entirely new energy eigenstates with altered dynamics. These effects offer potential solutions to key challenges in OLEDs, such as triplet accumulation and efficiency roll-off, yet demonstrations in the strong-coupling case remain sparse and modest. To systematically understand and optimize photodynamics across the different coupling regimes, we develop a unified quantum master equation model for microcavity OLEDs. Applying the model, we identify the conditions under which each coupling regime performs optimally. Strikingly, we find that maximizing the coupling strength does not necessarily maximize internal quantum efficiency. Instead, the efficiency depends on a delicate balance between material and cavity parameters.


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