OLED-TV Display/Monitor Technology News

A new form of general purpose artificial lighting, which emits a glow closer to that of the sun than existing technologies and whose low power consumption gives it environmental clout, is under development with a target for mass adoption by 2020.

Dr. Geoff Williams, OLED Group Leader of Thorn, said: "The materials we are hoping to develop will give high brightness, high efficiency white light, which could replace general-purpose lighting".

The other project partner is the University of Durham (Photonics Materials Institute) with the Department for Innovation, University and Skills (DIUS) providing a maximum funding of £1.6m over three years. Total initial funding amounts to £3.3m.

Wafer thin OLED panels are one of the key technologies touted to displace conventional light sources, such as fluorescent and incandescent lamps. OLEDs offer the potential for large area white lighting. The materials can be printed onto either solid or flexible glass or plastic substrates with long life (20,000 hours), reduced energy consumption and less waste (1kg of material will coat 10,000,000m² of lighting area). Electrical efficiency should be close to fluorescent tubes. "The target is 50 lumens per watt in four to five years, with a colour rendering index (CRI) better than standard fluorescent lamps" said Williams. "The eventual target is 150-200 lm/W. In 2015 we will be near this level and by 2020 OLED lighting will be the first choice," he adds. Williams concluded by saying "The challenge does not only exist for the materials and devices, but the Thorn team will strive to design new Sigma 6 manufacturing and quality control processes capable for this emerging technology."