OLED ink jet printing: introduction and market status - Page 25

Plextronics announced today that its Plexcore OC NQ ink is now available - for limited sampling. During 2011 Plextronics will accelerate production. The new non-aqueous-based Hole Injection Layer (HIL) ink is geared specifically for solution processible phosphorescent OLED emitters, and Plextronics expects to introduce ink-jet printable inks for limited sampling early in 2011.

Plextronics also say that UDC was using their OC NQ ink in their new P2OLED solution-processed phosphorescent OLED technology (reported on October 13). Plextronics was the HIL provider, and its OC NQ ink helped UDC to achieve a lower operating voltage and a boost in lifetime over previously disclosed results.

Universal Display announced today "significant advances" in the performance of its UniversalP2OLED solution-processible, phosphorescent OLED material systems. UDC reported that the solution-based system now approach the performance of vacuum-evaporated PHOLEDs.

The new green system feature 66 candelas per Ampere (cd/A) and 130,000 hours lifetime at 1000 nits luminance. That's about two times improvement from a year ago. The new red system offers 15 cd/A and 62,000 hours, and the light blue offers 18 cd/A and 5,000 hours. UDC has also demonstrated ink-jet printing with comparable performance to devices made by spin-coating.

Roth & Rau MicroSystems will partner with the Holst Centre on barriers for flexible electronics. The two companies will develop and install a roll-to-roll PECVD deposition tool in the Holst Centre. This will be used for flexible OLED lighting and organic solar cells.

Back in February, Pioneer and Mitsubishi Chemical has announced an OLED Lighting JV. Pioneer will produce OLED lighting panels, Mitsubishi Chemical will supply chemicals and will market and sell the panels through their Verbatim daughter company.

We had the good chance to speak with Verbatim regarding this new OLED business.

Q: Are there any updates on the OLED JV?
Mitsubishi Chemical Corp will start to supply samples at the end of 2010, and mass production in the middle of 2011.

OLEDNet reports the Konica-Minolta plans to start mass production of flexible OLED lighting panels in 2010. Konica-Minolta is cooperating with GE on manufacturing technology. According to the report, Konica Minolta is using polymer materials and printing technologies. The materials are made by Sumitomo. The lifetime of Konica-Minolta’s products is estimated to be 3,000 hours or more with the brightness of 1,000 cd/m2.

We think that this is a bit optimistic... according to KM's own plans, the first plant is scheduled for March 2011. Just last month they re-iterated their plans to start making the flexible OLEDs in 2011, and we do not think this will qualify as 'mass production'. We also know that KM is using UDC's Small-Molecule Phosphorescent materials, but maybe they are also working with Sumitomo on Polymer based OLEDs.

Update: According to Novaled, this report is not true. They are set to remain in the IP & Material business, in both OLED displays and lighting.

According to OLEDNet, Novaled is set to become a manufacturer of OLED Lighting panels (instead of being a supplier of OLED materials and technology/IP). They are moving away from displays because they lost the "competitive edge" to Korean companies.

Novaled is focusing on flexible OLEDs based on stainless steel substrate. They will introduce a 150x150mm, 25lm/W, 10,000 hours white-OLED panel in 2010. In 2011 they will add a 200x200mm, 40lm/W, 25,000 hours panel. In 2012 they will improve this to 50lm/W, 50,000 hours. By 2012, their OLEDs will be flexible, too (using roll-to-roll manufacturing process).

Sumitomo Chemical has developed a new 6.5" AMOLED panel. It's a polymer-based OLED made by printing technology, sealed by a metal plate. It was made by Sumitomo's "Device Development Center," which was established in August 2009.

A few days ago, DuPont has unveiled new printable OLED materials. DuPont now say that they can print a 50" OLED TV in under two minutes. They are using a custom-made printer from Dai Nippon Screen Manufacturing Co.

Dupont worked with Dai Nippon Screen to develop a multi-nozzle printer for the new inks. The Dai Nippon printer generates a continuous stream of ink, rather than droplets, and moves over a surface at rates of four to five meters per second while patterning a display.

Dupont announced new record lifetime performance in printed OLEDs for displays. They say that this is sufficient for OLED TVs. The new Gen 3 solution-processable OLEDs offer 29,000 hours for red, 110,000 for green and 34,000 for blue (at typical TV brightness levels). This is enough for 8 hours  per day over 15 years...

Back in 2009, Dupont reported even better lifetime for OLEDs. But these new materials can be used in a printing process, which should make it cheaper and easier to produce OLED TV displays. DuPont has produced some test devices with the new materials and will show them at SID.

In February 2009, we interviewed Dr. Udo Heider, Merck's OLED Unit VP. Merck is a global pharmaceutical and chemical company based in Germany, working on high performance OLED materials. Dr. Heider was kind enough to do a follow-up interview with us...

Q: Dr. Heider, thanks for taking the time to do this second interview... Back in February you said that within nine months you'll have a solution-processable Green OLED ready. Any updates on that? What about Blue and Red?

Indeed it is with great pleasure for me to report that our development team has really done an excellent job in making progress and delivering results in the area of solution-processed OLED materials. Merck can now report that in a spin coating process, the gap between solution and evaporation processed phosphorescent green materials has been almost completely bridged. Merck is now shifting its focus to the implementation phase: this means working together with world renowned process and display manufacturers to make sure that these materials can now be printed in line with performance and yield requirements. We hope to report on results in this area in the near future. The extensive know-how that has been accumulated during the last couple of months in the areas of Green can now be transferred with confidence to the other primary colors Red and Blue. The key to success is based on combining the learnings and strengths of the Small molecule and Polymer OLED worlds.