Konica Minolta: OLED breakthrough

The company said it had developed a lighting device using organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology, a potential new driver of earnings growth.
A Konica Minolta spokesman said it planned to launch the product in the next business year from April 2007, and aimed to generate 20 billion yen ($175 million) in sales from the new business in the year through March 2011.
OLED has primarily been seen as a promising technology for next-generation flat panel displays because OLED screens can produce bright, colourful images visible from a wide viewing angle without consuming a lot of power. But Konica Minolta said it would use the technology to create a device that could be used to illuminate offices and homes. Its new device emits white light at 64 lumens per watt, roughly on par with conventional fluorescent lights.
The new device can last 10,000 hours before its brightness level is cut in half, similar to fluorescent lighting, the spokesman said.
OLEDs are typically built on glass but can also be made on flexible substrates. This could allow for the development of bendable lighting.