Photochemical Upconversion Light Emitting Diode (LED): Theory of Triplet Annihilation Enhanced by a Cavity

TL;DR

This paper presents a theoretical analysis of a photochemical upconversion LED that uses a cavity to enhance triplet annihilation, potentially enabling high-efficiency Watt-scale lighting.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework for applying triplet-triplet annihilation upconversion in high-power LEDs with cavity enhancement, approaching quantum yield limits.

Findings

Performance can approach 50% quantum yield.

The device's equilibrium involves optical and thermal considerations.

Potential for Watt-scale high-efficiency lighting.

Abstract

Artificial lighting is a widespread technology which consumes large amounts of energy. Triplet-triplet annihilation photochemical upconversion is a method of converting light to a higher frequency. Here, we show theoretically that photochemical upconversion can be applied to Watt-scale lighting, with performance closely approaching the 50% quantum yield upper limit. We describe the dynamic equilibrium of an efficient device consisting of an LED, an upconverting material, and an optical cavity from optical and thermal perspectives.