Polarized electroluminescence from organic light-emitting devices using photon recycling.

We present results that show highly polarized electroluminescence (EL) from an organic light-emitting device (OLED) by using a quarter-wave (λ/4) retardation plate (QWP) film and a giant birefringent optical (GBO) photonic reflective polarizer. Polarized EL light of 13,400 cd/m(2) with high peak efficiencies (greater than 10 cd/A and 3.5 lm/W) was obtained from an OLED in this way. These values are almost double those of a polarized OLED that only uses a polarizer. The direction of polarization of the emitted EL light from the polarized OLED corresponded to the passing axis of the GBO reflective polarizer. Furthermore, the degree of linear polarization obtained, i.e. the ratio between the brightness of two linearly polarized EL emissions parallel and perpendicular to the passing axis, is greater than 40 over the whole range of emitted luminance.