Omnidirectional and compact guided light extraction from Archimedean photonic lattices

We address the issue of extracting light from a waveguide towards air in a compact way for randomly oriented guided waves. The goal is to enhance the extraction efficiency of light-emitting diodes while retaining planar processing. For incidence-angle-independent extraction, preferred lattice designs appear to possess a ring-shaped Fourier transform. We demonstrate this property for an Archimedean lattice. This system is the outer part of a resonant-cavity light-emitting diode. Data suggest that ∼40% extraction efficiency is at hand in a planar top-emitting device retaining its substrate.