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.
Keywords: light emitters; local density of optical states; luminescence; nanostructure; photonic crystals.
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