Multi-dipole weighted method for accurate light extraction simulation of micro-LEDs

Accurate evaluation of the light-extraction efficiency (LEE) is critical for inorganic micro-light-emitting diodes (micro-LEDs), providing a reliable basis for device optimization and performance benchmarking toward high-brightness, energy-efficient augmented/extended reality (AR/XR) microdisplays. However, in most LEE studies, the LEE is calculated from a single dipole or averaged over a few dipoles in the multiple quantum wells (MQWs), which cannot represent the incoherent, spatially distributed emission in practical devices and may lead to inaccurate optimization. Here, we propose a multi-dipole weighted (MDW) method, in which the total LEE is obtained by a weighted summation of dipole LEEs using TCAD-derived radiative recombination fractions as their weights. The method is implemented and evaluated within a simulation framework based on both electrical and optical solvers. The MDW method is systematically compared with the single-dipole (SD) method and the multi-dipole averaging (MDA) method over different structural parameters. The results reveal the limitations of the conventional approximations and provide practical guidance for reliable optical simulation and structural design of micro-LEDs for AR/XR applications.