Mass-Production Technique for Flexible OLEDs Could Reduce Price

The Flexible Display Center (FDC) at Arizona State University and Universal Display Corp. have announced a breakthrough in advancing displays with organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).

The partners have successfully used Universal Display’s phosphorescent OLEDs on a plastic sheet. The new product can convert all of its energy into light, compared with 25% for standard OLEDs. The 4.1-in. monochrome monitor is lower-resolution than most contemporary displays.

Researchers produced flexible OLED displays using the same production techniques used to create standard, rather less flexible LCD displays, enabling the transistors that control the pixels to be applied to plastic, rather than the glass they typically find themselves embedded within. They glue a piece of plastic onto glass, feed it through the LCD manufacturing process, then peel the two apart.

“There are a number of barriers to overcome before commercializing flexible OLEDs,” said Nick Colaneri, FDC’s director. “However, the FDC has developed manufacturing consistent approaches to address some of the barriers.”

The target market, military and commercial applications, require rugged displays.

“Together, the FDC and Universal Display have demonstrated technology paths which will accelerate the introduction of exciting new flexible OLED displays on plastic substrates,” said Mike Hack, vice president of strategic product development at Universal Display.

Advertisement

The center opened in 2004 under a five-year agreement with the U.S. Army, which was extended for another five years earlier this year.