OLED

OLED

(Organic Light Emitting Device, Organic Light Emitting Diode) A thin film light-emitting technology that is expected to compete with LCD and plasma TVs as well as LCD monitors and readouts. It consists of a series of organic layers between two electrical contacts (electrodes). Unlike LCDs and FEDs, which are constructed of layered materials, OLEDs are monolithic devices. Each layer is deposited on the other, creating a single unit.

An Array of Advantages
OLEDs offer bright and extremely colorful images with a wide viewing angle, low power and high contrast ratio. They also have very fast response times, making them ideal for sports and action movies. Unlike LCDs, OLEDs do not need backlights, allowing for extremely thin panels that can be placed anywhere.

OLEDs are commonly constructed on glass, but can also be fabricated on plastic and other flexible substrate films, such as the Flexible OLED (FOLED) from Universal Display (www.universaldisplay.com). In addition, OLEDs can be made transparent, enabling them to disappear when not needed and even function as window shades that react to sunlight.

Amazing Versatility
OLED's speed and thinness, its transparency, its flexibility for roll-up screens (see below), combined with the potential for replacing incandescent bulbs for lighting, makes OLEDs the most versatile display technology ever created. If OLEDs can be made cost effective reasonably soon, they will corner the display market.

Getting Closer!
After the turn of the century, small OLED screens began appearing in cellphones and digital cameras. In 2007 in Japan, Sony introduced the first commercial OLED TV, the 11" XEL-1. Making its way to the U.S. in early 2008, the XEL-1 demonstrated the intense colors of OLED technology with its ultra-thin 1/8" thick screen highly accentuated by encasing it separately from the TV's electronics.

Sony, Toshiba and Samsung have all announced plans for OLED TVs at varying sizes up to 42" in the coming years. See LED and LCD.

OLED Cross Section

Depending on construction type, the user's view can be through the lid, through the substrate or from both sides. OLEDs can be made using small-molecular weight organic materials (SM-OLEDs) or polymer-based materials (PLEDs, LEPs). (Illustration courtesy of Universal Display Corporation, www.universaldisplay.com)

The Future

This OLED display screen unrolled out of a pen may seem far fetched, but such products are expected to be commercialized in a few years. (Image courtesy of Universal Display Corporation, www.universaldisplay.com)