OLED

What is an OLED?

OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diodes) is a flat light emitting technology, made by placing a series of organic thin films between two conductors. When electrical current is applied, a bright light is emitted. OLEDs can be used to make displays and lighting. Because OLEDs emit light they do not require a backlight and so are thinner and more efficient than LCD displays(which do require a white backlight).

LG Display 31-inch OLED prototype

OLEDs are not just thin and efficient - they can also be made flexible (even rollable) and transparant.

OLED vs LCD

OLED displays have the following advantages over LCD displays:

• Lower power consumption
• Faster refresh rate and better contrast
• Greater brightness - The screens are brighter, and have a fuller viewing angle
• Exciting displays - new types of displays, that we do not have today, like ultra-thin, flexible or transparent displays
• Better durability - OLEDs are very durable and can operate in a broader temperature range
• Lighter weight - the screen can be made very thin, and can even be 'printed' on flexible surfaces

The future - flexible and transparent OLED displays

It turns out that because OLEDs are thin and simple - they can be used to create flexible and even transparent displays. This is pretty exciting as it opens up a whole world of possibilities:

• Curved OLED displays, placed on non-flat surfaces
• Wearable OLEDs
• Transparent OLEDs embedded in windows
• New designs for lamps
• And many more we cannot even imagine today...Several companies are working towards this, and we already got some pretty exciting prototypes. Hopefully these kind of displays will become available within a few years!

How do OLEDs work?

An OLED is made by placing a series of organic thin films between two conductors. When electrical current is applied, a bright light is emitted.

OLEDs are organic because they are made from carbon and hydrogen. There's no connection to organic food or farming - although OLEDs are very efficient and do not contain any heavy metals - so it's a real green technology.

So what's organic about OLEDs?

Where can I find OLED displays today?

Today you can find small (up to 3 or 4 inch) organic displays in many types of devices - mobile phones, A/V players, car audio systems, Digital cameras and PDAs. Lot's of companies are placing OLEDs in their products - Sony, Samsung, Nokia, LG, Microsoft, and others.

The main attraction today is the small size, the low power consumption and the great brightness. Obviously OLEDs carry a price premium over LCDs, but companies are using these displays more and more.

Samsung Galaxy S

OLED disadvantages

OLEDs aren't perfect. First of all, these screens are currently expensive - although this should hopefully change in the future, as OLEDs has a potential to be even cheaper than LCDs because of their simple design.

OLEDs have limited lifetime (like any display, really), that was quite a problem a few years ago. But there has been constant progress, and today this is almost a non-issue.

OLEDs can also be PDS, because of their emmissive nature. But companies are working to make it better. Samsung is producing in-cell touch panel displays  and Nokia has inlcuded a polarized filter in their...

Can OLEDs produce white lighting?

One of the more exciting attributes of organic displays is the low power consumption, and the ability to operate as a light source. OLEDs can produce white light, and can provide the bulb of the future - low power and thin designs (and no heavy metals). As OLEDs will also be flexible and transparent, this technology can truly be the light of the future.

Transparent white OLEDs by Philips

A lot of companies (Samsung, LG, duc and others) are working towards OLED Lighting. OSRAM, Philips and Lumiotec already offer sample panels, but these are very expensive 'samples' and not real commercial products yet. Real products shold arrive by 2012, hopefully.