The researchers of the University of Florida developed a new type of light emitting transistors.
This new technology resolves a key issue that has kept the OLED technology used in small screens from being viable for computer monitors or televisions said UF physics professor Andrew Rinzler.
Making use of carbon nanotubes, it allows organic semiconductors to efficiently drive the high currents needed by OLED pixels, but at lower voltages.
In addition to redesigning the transistor that powers the OLED within each pixel, the team also combined the transistor and the OLED into a single device called a light emitting transistor. The resulting carbon nanotube enabled vertical organic light-emitting transistor, or CN-VOLET, is more than eight times more energy efficient than the closest competing devices.
The light emitter can occupy more of the pixel area, giving the same light output at a lower current density through the light emitter. Since high current density degrades the lifetime of the light emitter, the change should make these devices last longer.
Rinzler:
The integrated design should also reduce manufacturing complexity, which could lead to lower costs.
Source: University of Florida
