Universal Display Corporation (UDC) - Page 28

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.

Universal Display announced that they delivered eight wrist-mounted OLED displays to the US Army. Those 4.3" QVGA full-color displays are based on UDC's phosphorescent OLED materials and are built on thin flexible metal foil. The backplane is an amorphous-Silicon (a-Si) TFT, fabricated by LG Display. The displays were designed by L-3 Display systems and "offer various advanced communications features, all integrated into a thin and rugged housing that comfortably fits around a soldier’s wrist".

These prototype were built as part of a US Department of Defense (DOD) funded program.

Universal Display and Armstrong are showing their efficient white OLED lighting ceiling system. Each luminaire is built from four OLED panels, each 15cmX15cm (overall size is 15cmX60cm), mounted in outcoupling enhancement lenses. The demonstration lamp has four luminaries. Each panel offers 58 lumens per Watt (lm/W) which translates into a luminaire efficacy calculated to be 51 lm/W.

This lighting system has been developed with the help of the US Department of Energy (DOE) - which gave a $1.9 million grant in July 2008. Here's a short video that UDC released in July 2009 showing a prototype system:

The US Department of Energy (DOE) has awarded three new OLED lighting small-business grants to Universal Display. The largest project is in Phase II already, and is focused on the development of ultra-high-efficiency phosphorescent OLEDs for lighting applications". UDC will produce a white OLED that features 120lm/W efficiency by improving out-coupling of light from the OLED structure through high-index substrates and low-voltage operation.

The second will focus on thermal management issues and optical improvements. UDC will make 15cm square panels with various designs, to see the thermal impacts of each. Lower temperature operation will help to extend the lifetime of the OLEDs.

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.

UDC is showing some new OLED lamp prototypes, some of these are very beautiful. The prototypes include a Christmas-tree decoration, flexible OLEDs and some 6" white-OLED panels. Here's my favorite one, a desk lamp that uses a thin (1/8" thick) panel. The head can rotate a full 360 degrees, and spins on thin carbon fiber. The lamp is dimmable:

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.

Universal Display has created a nice demo of their transparent OLED lighting panels - the Transparent Light Origami (TLO). It is made from 16 triangular glass PHOLED (Phosphorescent-OLEDs) panels that glow in either red, blue or green. When turned off, the panels are clear. Each panel is connected to the next via a friction hinge, so the structure can be folded and bent into a variety of shapes.

The design of the TLO was inspired by the observation that colors emitted by overlapping transparent PHOLED panels combine in an additive way, as is the case with overlapping PHOLED
materials in an OLED panel. Red and green produces yellow, red and blue produces magenta, etc. All three colors overlapping produce white light. As illustrated by the TLO, when overlapping layers of red, green and blue PHOLED materials are sandwiched within a single panel, white light is emitted.

Universal Display reported their financial results for the last quarter. Revenues were $8.4 million, compared to $2.9 a year ago. Most of the rise is attributed to development contracts and the sale of development materials. UDC reported a net loss of $4.4 million. Operating loss was reduced to $1.9 million (down from $6.3 a year ago).

Sidney D. Rosenblatt, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Universal Display said: Demand for AMOLED displays is reportedly outstripping supply. Manufacturers are in the process of significantly expanding their capacity for small-area OLED display applications and migration to larger format displays is expected. In addition, the development of white OLED lighting should create another exciting market opportunity for our technology and materials.

Universal Display has produced a nice short video clip about OLEDs: explaining why they are better (for mobile, TV and lighting markets), and why Universal's Phosphorescent based OLEDs are best: