Technical / Research - Page 39

The EU launched a new project (called ENAB-SPOLED) that aims to use solution-based OLED materials to enable high performing cost competitive OLEDs for the lighting market and to develop a functional luminaire demonstrator. More specifically, the project partners will develop new materials (transport materials, emitters), new optical technologies for light guiding, and also process technologies for solution processing of small molecule and PLEDs.

This 2-year project has a budget of €4 million and is supported by Germany, Austria and the UK. The project partners are Novaled, Cambridge Display Technology, Tridonic, Zumbotel, the University of Durham and the Fraunhofer IAP. More information can be found here.

DisplayMate, the display testing, measurement and calibration experts just got their hands on a pre-release Galaxy Note 3 production unit, with its 5.7" Full-HD Super AMOLED display (386 PPI, PenTile). They put the unit to extensive testing (and also compared it to the Note 2). The conclusion? This is the best performing OLED display ever and it beats LCDs across the board!

The most notable advancement in this new panel is the high brightness. It can achieve 660 cd/m² in high ambient light. It's not just 55% brighter than the Note 2, it's actually the brightest display ever tested at DisplayMate. A very notable achievement for Samsung's OLEDs, which were lagging behind LCDs in brightness.

Researchers from the University of Utah, Bonn and Regensburg developed a new wagon-wheel (or rotelle-pasta) shaped OLED molecule that emits non-polarized (random) light.Those oligomers, or wrapped-up polymers may enable OLEDs more efficient than polymer based OLEDs (PLEDs).

The researchers explain that current poylmer OLED molecules (which are shaped like spaghetti pasta, to continue the same metaphore) emit polarized light. Some of that light get trapped inside the OLED device and this makes it less efficient. They say that up to 80% of the generated light may be trapped in the OLED because it is polarized.

Yesterday I posted about UCLA's new EPLED device, a highly-flexible elastic polymer light emitting device. At first I thought it was an OLED (they state so several times in the UCLA press release). But it turns out that it is actually a LEC device (a polymer LEC, or PLEC) and not an OLED.

The researchers explain that they chose P-LEC (polymer-LEC) device architecture and not OLED because it's simpler, there's no need for specific electrode work functions for charge injection and it has a straightforward fabrication process, compatible with conventional polymer processing technique.

Fujifilm and imec have jointly developed a new photoresist-based OLED (and other organic semiconductors) patterning technology that can enable sub-micron patterns. The new process uses existing i-line photolithography equipment and may be a cost-effective production method for high resolution devices.

Photoresist technologies are based on photo-sensitive materials that cause photochemical reaction when exposed to light. This technology is already used for microfabrication in semiconductor production. The new process builds on Fujifilm's synthetic-organic chemistry material design technology.

Update: It turns out that this device is actually a polymer LEC device and not an OLED.

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) developed transparent elastic silver-nanowire based electrodes that enabled them to create a polymer based elastic LEC device that can be repeatedly stretched, folded and twisted (at room temperature) without effecting its shape and lighting properties. They call the new device EPLED (elastomeric polymer light-emitting device) and they managed to fabricate a 5x5 pixel Passive Matrix one:

The EPLED is the whole device, and it include electrodes made from a rubbery polymer with the silver nanowires embedded in it and a polymer LEC. The EPLED can still emit light even when exposed to strains as large as 120% and can survive repeated continuous stretching cycles. The researchers say that their solution-based fabrication process, used to create the prototype above, is scalable.

Veeco announced that is it going to acquire privately held Synos Technology who designs and manufactures Fast Array Scanning Atomic Layer Deposition systems (FAST-ALD) for flexible OLED displays. Veeco will pay an initial $70 million, and according to performance milestones, the total deal may grow to $185 million.

Veeco says that they believe Synos' technology will remove the barrier to adoption of flexible OLED displays. Synos' first pilot production system has been installed and the manufacturing ramp is currently expected to begin in 2014. Veeco says that in the future they also see FAST-ALD used in OLED TV, lighting, solar, batteries and other large adjacent markets.

CSR Pls developed the world's thinnest wireless touch keyboard and demonstrated the device at IFA 2013. This flexible keyboard is only 0.5 mm thick and connects to any device via CSR's low-power Bluetooth technology.

The keyboard is produced using printable electronics technology provided by Atmel and Conductive Inkjet Technology (CIT). Atmel provided their touch silicon and CTI enabled the flexible membrane using their printed conductor technology. They use a reel-to-reel printing process to apply copper (or other conductors) to the surface of the ultra-thin and flexible membrane.

Cynora and the Karlsruhe Institute for Technology (KIT) launched a new project called cyFLEX that aims to develop develop flexible and luminescent surfaces for smart packaging and advertising applications based on OLED lighting panels. The project follows-up to Cynora's cyFLEX panel demonstration shown in October 2012 and uses the company's solution-processable copper-based TADF OLED emitters.

Cynora will develop OLED materials that can be applied for mass-market applications - integrated into packaging. They hope to develop a low-cost, efficient manufacturing process based on printing and coating.

Update: these front-lights are most likely LEDs and not OLEDs...

Ford unveiled a new concept car, the S-MAX passenger-van at the Frankfurt Motor Show. The headlights are made from OLED lighting panels:

I'm not sure who makes these OLEDs, but I guess it's either Osram or Philips. From what I can see in those photos, it looks somewhat similar to the 3D OLEDs Philips developed with Merck and Audi a few months ago. Osram is also actively looking at the automobile market for its OLED lighting panels and promised us some new prototypes during the exhibition (they also promised commercial availability by 2016).