We just got word from LG Chem that the company finished development of their first OLED lighting panel, and have started mass production. The "type 1" panel, or the LG-OLED-041 is a 100x100 mm square panel that features 4,000K, CRI>80, 45 lm/W and 10,000 hours lifetime (LT70) at 3,000 nits. The active emitting panel is 90x90 mm, and the whole panel is 2.44 mm thick (including the optical film and PCB. The OLED itself is 1.84 mm).
LG Chem is already developing the 2nd generation (or "type 2") panel which will up the efficiency to 60 lm/W and the lifetime to 15,000 hours. The size will be the same, but the color will be 3,500K. LG Chem will start mass production of type 2 panels in 2Q 2012. LG Chem further says that it decided to offer these new panels at "lower prices" - although we do not know the actual price yet.
LG Chem published their OLED lighting roadmap - see above. By 2013 the company expects to provide larger panels (150x150 mm) which will feature 80 lm/W and 20,000 lifetime hours (LT70). Oh - and they will also produce transparent panels by then. By 2015 the company will offer flexible panels as well, and their most efficient panel will feature over 135 lm/W and 40,000 lifetime (LT70) at 200x200 mm.
It's great to see LG Chem true to their promise to start making OLED lighting panels in 1Q 2012. We know of two companies that are using LG Chem's panels - Acuity Brands in the Revel and Kindred lamps and LEDON with their 9-panel OLED module. Acuity Brands' Kindred, shown below, uses 45 panels.
LG Chem announced their OLED lighting product plans back in 2009. Back then, LG Chem planned to use green and red PHOLED materials made by Universal Display, and SFC's deep-blue fluorescent OLED. We assume that the new efficient panels are using phosphorescent materials.
LG Chem also launched a dedicated site for their OLED lighting products, with some nice application ideas and technical information on their panels.
It seems that LG Chem's LG-OLED-41 is the world's most efficient OLED lighting panel currently available together with Philips' Lumiblade Plus and Konica Minolta's first Symfos panel. It is more efficient than Lumiotec's 40 lm/W sample panels and Panasonic's 30 lm/W panel.
