Universal Display Corporation Awarded Phase I SBIR Grant from U.S. Air Force to Design Flexible OLED Display Prototype
Universal Display Corporation, an innovator behind today and tomorrow’s displays and lighting products through its Universal PHOLED™ phosphorescent OLED technology, announced today that the Company has been awarded a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I grant for $99,978 from the U.S. Air Force Research Laboratory to develop its flexible OLED display technology for “rollable” applications. The ultimate goal of this U.S. Air Force program is to develop lightweight, rugged, low power displays that can replace printed paper maps on pilots’ knees and be rolled up for stowage when not in use. Rollability is also important for a variety of novel commercial applications, including the Company’s concept Universal Communication Device.
Under the terms of this nine-month Phase I grant, Universal Display and its partner, L-3 Display Systems, will provide the U.S. Air Force with an initial design and mock-up of a low-power consumption, full-color, video-rate OLED display that can be rolled around a cylinder for stowage. If successful, Universal Display would then propose a follow-on Phase II program to deliver six-inch diagonal, 480 x 480 full-color, active matrix PHOLED display prototypes that would be built on metallic foil to be flexible enough to wrap around a 2.5 inch diameter cylinder containing the power supplies and wireless communication electronics.
“We are excited to continue the research and development of flexible and rollable OLED technology – an idea that is moving quickly from being a vision to becoming a reality,” said Steven V. Abramson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Display. “The U.S. Air Force as well as other branches of the U.S. Department of Defense have been strong supporters of our flexible OLED technology. Also offering thinness, light weight and ruggedness, rollable displays may revolutionize the way soldiers view information on the battlefield and in the cockpit. This program should also support our efforts to commercialize FOLED technology for a variety of novel consumer applications.”
Beyond current military concepts, flexible OLED displays are considered the next potential disruptive technology for several industrial, consumer and medical applications, such as in automobiles, cell phones and personal electronic devices. DisplaySearch, the worldwide leader in display market research and consulting, has projected that the worldwide market for flexible displays has the potential to grow to $4 billion in 2015. Companies like Universal Display are introducing key advances in OLED technology that will bring flexible displays closer to commercialization.
To see how Universal Display Corporation is changing the face of the display industry, please visit the Company at www.universaldisplay.com.
About L-3 Display Systems
L-3 Display Systems, located in Alpharetta, Georgia, specializes in the design, development and manufacture of ruggedized display systems for the world’s most advanced applications. L-3 Display Systems offers a wide variety of displays and processors available to meet a host of system architectures for airborne, shipboard and ground-based applications. To learn more about L-3 Display Systems, please visit the company’s web site at www.L-3Com.com/Displays.
- admin's blog
- Login to post comments

Similar entries
- Air Force contracts for OLED development with UDC
- US Air Force awarded the Universal Display a SBIR Phase II contract for ejection-safe, 6" flexible OLED
- UDC U.S. Army SBIR Contract Extension for Flexible OLED Displays Built on Metal Foil
- Universal-Display and LG.Philips gets US Army Contract for Development of Flexible OLED Display on Metal Foil
- Universal Display Corporation Reports Flexible OLED Display Improvements






