OLED-TV Display/Monitor Technology News

White organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are already producing more light per watt than incandescent bulbs, according to engineering professor Stephen Forrest, but it is trapped inside the device. By fabricating a tandem system of grids and micro lenses on a white OLED, the device can achieve a brightness of over 70 lumens per watt, compared with 15 lumens for incandescent bulbs--almost as much as fluorescent tube lights (90 lumens).

"We have achieved 78 lumens using our grid and lens structures--almost as much as fluorescents," said Forrest. "And when you consider that a lot of the fluorescent tubes light is lost, since it comes out it all directions around the tube, our white OLEDs will be perceived in many applications as brighter than fluorescents."

Forrest claims his breakthrough will enable white OLEDs to eventually replace both incandescent bulbs and fluorescent tubes with light-panels that can be shaped differently for specific applications.

The market for white OLED light panels could be enormous since lighting accounts for 22 percent of all U.S. electricity consumption. The Michigan Memorial Phoenix Energy Institute at the University of Michigan, which cooperated in the development of Forrest's invention, is focusing on "green" alternatives to coal-generated electricity.