CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO OLED TECHNOLOGY

1.1 INTRODUCTION:
An OLED (organic light-emitting diode) is a light-emitting diode (LED) in which the
emissive electroluminescent layer is a film of organic compound that emits light in
response to an electric current. OLEDs are used to create digital displays in devices
such as television screens, computer monitors, portable systems such as mobile
phones, handheld game consoles and PDAs. A major area of research is the
development of white OLED devices for use in solid-state lighting applications.
While there has recently been a dramatic expansion in the use of OLEDs for
displays, a direct impact on the cost of OLED lighting products is not yet evident
[DOE-13]. Partly this is because OLED lighting manufacturing is still evolving and
the device architectures and performance requirements are different than those
for displays. The broad spectrum of OLED emission peaks allows for full coverage of
the visible spectrum; however, red emission in the infrared regime and the lack of
efficient, long-life blue emitters. These result in a thin and compact display. While
backlighting is a crucial component to improving brightness in LCDs, it also adds
significant cost as well as requires extra power. With an organic display, your
laptop might be less heavy to carry around, or your battery lasts much longer
compared to a laptop equipped with a traditional LCD screen.

1.2 HISTORY:

1
The first observations of electroluminescence in organic materials were in the early
1950s by A. Bernanose and co-workers at the Nancy-Université, France. They
applied high-voltage alternating current (AC) fields in air to materials such as
acridine orange, either deposited on or dissolved in cellulose or cellophane thin
films. The proposed mechanism was either direct excitation of the dye molecules
or excitation of electrons. In 1960, Martin Pope and co-workers at New York
University developed ohmic dark-injecting electrode contacts to organic crystals.
They further described the necessary energetic requirements (work functions) for
hole and electron injecting electrode contacts. These contacts are the basis of
charge injection in all modern OLED devices. Pope's group also first observed direct
current (DC) electroluminescence under vacuum on a pure single crystal of
anthracene and on anthracene crystals doped with tetracene in 1963 using a small
area silver electrode at 400V. The proposed mechanism was field-accelerated
electron excitation of molecular fluorescence.

In the same year, Dow Chemical researchers patented a method of preparing

electroluminescent cells using high voltage (500–1500 V) AC-driven (100–3000 Hz)
electrically-insulated one millimetre thin layers of a melted phosphor consisting of
ground anthracene powder, tetracene, and graphite powder. Electroluminescence
from polymer films was first observed by Roger Partridge at the National Physical
Laboratory in the United Kingdom.

1.3 What is the OLED?

2
An OLED is a solid state device or electronic device that typically consists of organic
thin films sandwiched between two thin film conductive electrodes. When
electrical current is applied, a bright light is emitted. OLED use a carbon-based
designer molecule that emits light when an electric current passes through it. This
is called electrophosphorescence. Even with the layered system, these systems are
thin . usually less than 500 nm or about 200 times smaller than a human hair.
When used to produce displays. OLED technology produces self-luminous displays
that do not require backlighting and hence more energy efficient. These properties
result in thin, very compact displays. The displays require very little power, ie, only
2-10 volts. OLED technology uses substances that emit red, green, blue or white
light. Without any other source of illumination, OLED materials present bright,
clear video and images that are easy to see at almost any angle. Enhancing organic
material helps to control the brightness. and colour of light, ie, the brightness of an
OLED is determined by how much power you supply to the system.

Conventional semiconductor components have become smaller and smaller over

the course of time. Silicon is the base material of all microelectronics and is
eminently suited for this purpose.However, the making of larger components is
difficult and therefore costly. The silicon in semiconductor components has to be
mono crystalline; it has to have a very pure crystal form without defects in the
crystal structure. This is achieved by allowing melted silicon to crystallize under
precisely controlled conditions. The larger the crystal, the more problematic this
process is. Plastic does not have any of these problems, so that semiconducting
plastics are paving way for larger semiconductor components.

OLEDs can have either two layers or three layers of organic material. An OLED
consist of the following parts:

• Subtrate
• Anode
• Organic layers
• Cathode

1.4 Basics of the OLED technology:

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An OLED is a solid-state device consisting of a thin, carbon-based semiconductor
layer that emits light when electricity is applied by adjacent electrodes. In order for
light to escape from the device, at least one of the electrodes must be transparent.
The intensity of the light emitted is controlled by the amount of electric current
applied by the electrodes, and the light's colour is determined by the type of
emissive material used.

Today, different stack structures are possible:

 Bottom or top distinction refers not to orientation of the OLED display, but
to the direction that emitted light exits the device. OLED devices are
classified as bottom emission devices, if emitted-light pass through the
transparent or semi-transparent bottom electrode and substrate on which
the panel was manufactured. Top emission devices are classified based on
whether or not the light emitted from the OLED device exits through the lid
that is added following fabrication of the device.

 Transparent OLEDs : This uses use transparent or semi-transparent contacts

on both sides of the device to create displays that can be made to be both
top and bottom emitting (transparent). TOLEDs can greatly improve contrast,
making it much easier to view displays in bright sunlight. This technology can
be used in Head-up displays, smart windows or augmented reality
applications.

 Inverted OLED: In contrast to a conventional OLED, in which the anode is

placed on the substrate, an Inverted OLED uses a bottom cathode that can
be connected to the drain. This technology is more common for displays
than for lighting.

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 Organic electroluminescent materials, based on π-conjugated molecules may
be electrically conductive as a result of delocalization of π-electrons caused
by conjugation over part or the entire molecule. These materials have
conductivity levels ranging from insulators to conductors, and are therefore
considered organic semiconductors.

 In organic semiconductors the highest occupied and lowest unoccupied

molecular.

 orbitals (HOMO and LUMO) of organic semiconductors are analogous to the

valence and conduction bands of inorganic semiconductors.

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 CHAPTER 2
OLED COMPONENTS

2.1 OLED COMPONENTS:

Like an LED, an OLED is a solid-state semiconductor device that is 100 to 500
nanometers thick or about 200 times smaller than a human hair. OLEDs can have
either two layers or three layers of organic material; in the latter design, the third
layer helps transport electrons from the cathode to the emissive layer. In this
article, we will be focusing on the two layer design.

An OLED consists of the following parts:

• Substrate (clear plastic, glass, foil)-The substrate supports the OLED.

• Anode(transparent)-The anode removes electrons(adds electron holes) when a
current flows through the device.

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• Organic layers:
These layers are made up of organic plastic molecules that transport "holes"
from the anode. One conducting polymer used in OLEDs is polyaniline.

• Emissive layer:
This layer is made of organic plastic molecules(different ones from the
conducting layer) that transport electons from the cathode; this is where light is
made. One polymer used in the emissive layer is polyflourene.

• Cathode (may or may not be transparent depending on the type of OLED):

The cathode injects electrons when a current how through the device.

2.2 Operation:
How do OLEDs emit light?
OLEDs emit light in a similar manner to LEDs. through a process called
electrophosphorescence

The process is as follows:

1. The battery or power supply of the device containing the OLED applies a voltage
across the OLED.

2. An electrical current flows from the cathode to the anode through the organic
layers(an electrical current is a flow of electrons)

• The cathode gives electrons to the emissive layer of organic molecules.

• The anode removes electrons from the conductive layer of organic
molecules.(This is the equivalent to giving electron holes to the conductive
layer)

3. At the boundary between the emissive and the conductive layers, electrons find
electron holes.

• When an electron finds an electron hole, the electron fills the hole (it falls
into an energy level of the atom that is missing an electron).

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 • When this happens, the electron gives up energy in the form of a photon
of light.
4. The OLED emits light.The color of the light depends on the type of organic
molecule in the emissive layer. Manufacturers place several types of organic films
on the same OLED to make color displays.

5. The intensity or brightness of the light depends on the amount of electrical

current applied. The more the current, the brighter the light.

2.3 Structures for White OLEDs:

White OLED (WOLED) lighting devices are designed to achieve a white colour by
simultaneously emitting light from organic substances that radiate in colours such
as blue, red, and green. However, changes in lighting colours due to aging (colour
shift) are inevitable because the durability of devices differs from colour to colour.
This is an issue that must be addressed in addition to the issue of luminance
lifetime.

As for any emerging technology, a large variety of materials and OLED structures
are used in production or tested. Moreover, alternatives to existing materials are
still actively researched in order to improve the light performance, lifetime, and
decrease manufacturing costs. There are two main families of organic light emitting
materials: those based on small molecules and those employing polymers. The
polymer technology is usually called “Polymer light-emitting diodes” (PLED).

2.3.1 DoE’s luminous efficacy target for OLED panel:

8
The DoE in 2011 within its Multi-Year Program Plan (MYPP) defined the targets for
OLED performances as shown in table T1 [DOE-11] and more especially for the
luminous efficacy [DOE-14].

2.3.2 UDC luminous efficacy records at ‘pixel’ and ‘panel’ levels

against DoE objectives:

Universal Display Corporation (UDC) has steadily achieved records in luminous

efficacy, at the ‘pixel’ and the commercial-sized ‘panel’ scales. Funded in part by
the US Department of Energy, these advances now meet a variety of niche
performance targets and move white OLEDs closer to general lighting targets set
by US DoE. As example, UDC has successfully demonstrated in 2008 a record-
breaking white organic lightemitting diode (WOLED) with a power efficacy of 102
lm/W at 1000 cd/m2 using its proprietary, high-efficiency phosphorescent OLED
technology.
This WOLED light source offers a white emission with a CRI of 70 and a CCT of 3
900K and highlights the potential of white OLEDs to offer significant energy savings
and environmental benefits.

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2.4 Challenges Facing:
The major challenges faced by the industry are in large-scale manufacturing, and
in material lifetime and efficiency. The use of vacuum deposition techniques for
small-molecule OLEDs is not feasible in the large-scale manufacturing of bigger
displays.

2.4.1 Efficiency and Light Output:

(1) Some lab devices can compete with conventional technologies, but no
products yet
(2) Work needed to develop long-lasting blue emitter
(3) Current OLED packages produce “dim” light
(4) Work needed to improve light extraction

2.4.2 Lifespan:
(1) Work needed on high current density and environmental degradation

2.4.3 Cost and Manufacturing:

(1) Lower cost device and luminaire materials are needed
(2) Infrastructure investment needed to develop commercial OLED products
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2.4.4 Tests and Standards:
(1) Need for reliable test methods standards to establish consistency and reduce
uncertainty

2.5 Evolution of the OLED technology and targets:

The electroluminescence, “the emission of electromagnetic radiation from
condensed matter subjected to an external electric field”, from anthracene
(organic material) has been discovered in 1963. A. Hegger, A. McDiarmid and S.
Shurakawa explained the possibility to obtain conductive organic thin films using π-
conjugated materials (polyacetylene)2. The way to light production from organic
materials were open. Chemists, Ching W Tang and Steven Van Slyke, researchers at
the Eastman Kodak Corporation, used organic heterostructures to demonstrate the
first OLED diode in 1987. [TAN-87] Researchers from Cambridge (UK)
demonstrated in 1990 the possibility to use conjugated polymers for light
generation. In the early 2000s, researchers at Pacific Northwest National
Laboratory and the Department of Energy invented two technologies necessary to
make flexible OLEDs: first, Flexible Glass an engineered substrate that provides a
flexible surface, and second, a Barix thin film coating that protects a flexible display
from harmful air and moisture. Initially, due to the moderate thickness of the
vacuum-evaporated layers (100nm), light emission at rather low driving voltages
[5V] was achieved with an external quantum efficiency (EQE) of about 1%. The first
polymer OLED fabricated by spin coating had even worse characteristics: EQE of
about 0,05% at driving voltages of about 15 V. Since these first steps considerable
progress has been achieved in improving the performances of OLEDs as well as in
studying the basic physics of such devices. The first applications of OLEDs appeared
at around 1997 with small monochrome displays for car radios. Nowadays, about
20 years after their first demonstration, OLEDs are seen as promising candidates
for the next generation of display and lighting applications.
Impressive numbers have been published on white OLEDs under laboratory
conditions: a device with a luminous efficacy in excess of 120 lm/W [REI-09],
devices with 34% EQE [SUN-08], as well as devices with CRIs greater than 90 and
lifetimes in excess of 30 000 h at a luminance of 5000 cd/m2 [HEG-09] have been
demonstrated.

In small molecule technology include organometallic fluorescent chelates and

phosphorescent dyes are commonly used in OLEDs. Fluorescent dyes can be

11
chosen to obtain light emission at different wavelengths, and compounds such as
perylene, rubrene and quinacridone derivatives are often used. Phosphorescent
organic light emitting diodes use the principle of electrophosphorescence to
convert electrical energy in an OLED into light in a highly efficient manner, with the
internal quantum efficiencies of such devices approaching 100% when fluorescent
materials are strictly limited to 25%. The termed Ph-OLED applies to this category
of molecules. Small molecules dominate the only sizeable market in organic
electronics to date OLEDs. However, they suffer a serious drawback: they are
difficult to make into inks. Because fabrication by printing is one of the key selling
points of organic electronics, the issue clearly has commercial importance [NAN-
08]. Polymer light-emitting diodes (PLED), involve an electroluminescent
conductive polymer that emits light when connected to an external voltage. They
are used as a thin film for fullspectrum colour displays. Polymer OLEDs are quite
efficient and require a relatively small amount of power for the amount of light
produced. Polymers are easily solubilized and relatively easy to make into inks for
printable electronics applications.

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 CHAPTER 3
CONSTRUCTION OF OLED
3.1 MAKING OLED:
The biggest part of manufacturing OLEDs is applying the organic layers to the
substrate. This can be done in three ways:

3.1.1 Vacuum deposition or vacuum thermal evaporation(VTE):

In a vacuum chamber, the organic molecules are gently heated(evaporated) and
allowed to condense as thin films onto cooled substrates. This process is very
expensive and inefficient.

3.1.2 Organic vapour phase deposition:

In a low pressure, hot-walled reactor chamber, a carrier gas transports evaporated
organic molecules onto cooled substrates, where they condense into thin films.
Using a carrier gas increases the efficiency and reduces the cost of making OLEDs.
The OVPD process employs an inert carrier gas to a precisely transfer films of
organic material onto a cooled substrate in a hot-walled, low pressure chamber.
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The organic materials are stored in external, separate, thermally-controlled cells
.Once evaporated from these heated cells, the materials are entrained and
transported by an inert carrier gas such as nitrogen, using gas flow rate, pressure
and temperature as process control variables. The materials deposit down onto the
cooled substrate from a manifold located only several centimeters above the
substrate. Usually we go for this method. Higher deposition rates :- Deposition
rates with OVPD can be several times higher than the rate for conventional VTE
processes because the OVPD deposition rate is primarily controlled by the How of
the carrier gas.
Shadow mask patterning :- OVPD offers better shadow mask-to-substrate distance
control than is possible with VTE up-deposition. Because the mask is above, instead
of below the substrate, its thickness can be dictated by the desired pattern shape
rather than the need for rigidity. Thus precise, reproducible pixel profiles can be
obtained. Larger substrate sizes :- Because the Aixtron AG-proprietary showerhead
can be designed to maintain a constant source-to-substrate distance, OVPD may be
more readily scaled to larger substrate sizes. This also may render OVPD more
adaptable to in-line and roll-to-roll processing for flexible displays.

3.1.3 Inkjet printing:

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With inkjet technology, OLEDs are sprayed onto substrates just like inks are
sprayed onto paper during printing. Inkjet technology greatly reduces the cost of
OLED manufacturing and allows OLEDs to be printed onto very large dims for large
displays like 80 inch TV screens or electronic billboards.

CHAPTER 4
OLED TYPES
4.1 Types of OLED:
There are six different types of OLEDs. They are:
 Passive-matrix OLED
 Active-matrix OLED
 Transparent OLED
 Foldable OLED
 Top-emitting OLED
 White OLED

4.1.1 Passive – matrix OLED:

Passive-matrix OLEDs are particularly well suited for small-area display
applications, such as cell phones and automotive audio applications. PMOLEDs
have strips of cathode, organic layers and strips of anode. The anode strips are

15
arranged perpendicular to the cathode strips. The intersections of the cathode and
anode make up the pixels where light is emitted. Sandwiched between the
orthogona column and row lines, thin films of organic material are activated to
emit light by applying electrical signals to designated row and column lines.
PMOLED electronics do not contain a storage capacitor and so the pixels in each
line are actually off most of the time. To compensate for this you need to use more
voltage to make them brighter. If you have 10 lines, for example, you have to make
the one line that is on 10 times as bright.

4.1.2 Active Matrix OLED:

AMOLED have full layers of cathode, organic molecule and anode, but the anode
layer overlays a thin film transistor(TFT) array that forms a matrix. The TFT array
itself is the circuitry that determines which pixels get turned on to form an image.
In contrast to a PMOLED display, where electricity is distributed row by row. the
active-matrix TFT backplane acts as an array of switches that controls the amount
of current flowing through each OLED pixel. The TFT array continuously controls
the current that Hows to the pixels, signaling to each pixel how brightly to shine.

Active-matrix OLED displays provide the same beautiful video-rate performance as

their passivematrix OLED counter part, but they consume significantly less power.

16
The advantage makes active matrix OLEDs especially well suited for portable
electronics
• where battery power consumption is critical and for large displays.
The best uses for AMOLED are computer monitors, large screen TVs and electronic
signs or billboards.

4.1.3 TRANSPARENT OLED:

Transparent OLEDs have only transparent components (substrate, cathode and
anode) and, when turned off, are up to 85 percent as transparent as their
substrate. When a transparent OLED display is turned on, it allows light to pass in
both directions. A transparent OLED display can be either active or passive matrix.
This technology can be used for heads-up displays.
OLED technology can be used to make lighting panels - these are thin, area-lit and
efficient lighting panels, that can be made transparent. Unlike displays,
transparent OLED lighting panels have more immediate applications (embedded in
windows, for example). In April 2012 we posted our hands-on review with a
transparent Tabola OLED lighting panel sample. As the OLED lighting market in
general is still at an early stage, we do not see actual adoption and production of
transparent OLED lighting.

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4.1.4 FOLDABLE OLED:
OLEDs have substrates made of very flexible metallic foils or plastics. Foldable
OLEDs are very lightweight and durable. Their use in devices such as cellphones
and PDAs can be sewn into fabrics for "smart" clothing, such as outdoor survival
clothing with an integrated computer chip, cell phone, GPS receiver and oled
display display sewn into it.

4.1.5 TOP-EMITTING OLED:

Top-emitting OLEDs have a substrate that is either opaque or reflective. They are
best suited to active-matrix design. Manufacturers may use top-emitting OLED
displays in smart cards.

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4.1.6 WHITE OLED:
White OLEDs emit white light that is brighter, more uniform and more energy
efficient than that emitted by fourescent lights. White OLEDs also have the true-
color qualities of incandescent lighting. Because OLEDs can be made in large
sheets, they can replace fluorescent lights that are currently used in homes and
buildings. Their use could potentially reduce energy costs for lighting. A typical
OLED is composed of a layer of organic materials situated between two
electrodes, the anode and cathode, all deposited on a substrate. The
organic molecules are electrically conductive as a result of delocalization of
pi electrons caused by conjugation over part or all of the molecule .

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4.2 STRUCTURE OF OLED:
Organic LED is a solid state device like the LED but composed of several layers
.OLED may have two or three layers of organic material along with other layers.
The different layers of OLED are
1. Substrate layer-It supports OLED and is made up of transparent plastic or glass
film
2. Anode layer – It is a transparent layer that removes electrons. Indium tin oxide is
commonly used as the anode material.
3. Organic layer – Layer formed of organic polymers
4. Conductive layer – Transports holes from anode. Made up of organic plastic.
Polymer light-emitting diodes (PLED), also light-emitting polymers (LEP), are used in
electroluminescent conductive polymer. Typical polymers used in PLED displays
include derivatives of poly(p-phenylene vinylene) and polyfluorene.
5. Emissive layer – Transports electrons from the cathode layer. It is made up of
organic plastic
6. Cathode layer – Injects electrons. It may be transparent or not. Metals such as
Aluminium and Calcium are often used in the cathode

The basic OLED cell structure consists of a stack of thin organic layers sandwiched
between a conducting anode and a conducting cathode. They are thin-film organic
semiconductor light emitting devices. OLED works on the same principle of electro-
luminescence. Anode is transparent and made of indium tin oxide. Cathode is
reflective and made of metal. When an external potential is applied across the
electrodes, positive and negative charges are injected. These electrons and holes
shift inside the material and re-combine to form excitons and consecutively emits
photons.

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4.3 COMPARISON OF OLED/LED/LCD:

Specifications OLED LED/LCD

Backlight Not available available

Power Consumption Less More

thick compare to
Display size thin and small OLED display type

narrower than
Viewing angle wide OLED

Weight Less More

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 CHAPTER 5
PROBLEMS WITH OLED
5.1 PROBLEMS WITH OLED:
OLED seem to be the perfect technology for all types of displays, but they also have
some problems:
• Lifetime :- While red and green OLED films have long lifetimes ( 10000 to 40000
hours), blue organics currently have much shorter lifetimes(only about 10000
hours).
• Manufacturing :- Manufacturing processes are expensive right now.
• Water :- Water can easily damage OLEDs.

5.2 CURRENT AND FUTURE OLED APPLICATIONS:

Currently, OLEDs are used in small-screen devices such as cell phones, PDAs and
digital cameras. In September 2004, Sony Corporation announced that it was
beginning mass production of OLED screens for its CLIE PEG-VZ90 model of
personal entertainment handhelds. Kodak already uses OLED displays in several of
its digital camera models. Several companies have already built prototype
computer monitors and large screen TVs. In May 2005, Samsung Electronics
announced that it had developed the first 40 inch, OLED based, ultra-slim TV.
Research and development in the field of OLEDs is proceeding rapidly and may lead
to future applications in heads up displays, automotive dashboards, billboard-type
displays, home and office lighting and flexible displays. Because OLEDs refresh
faster than LCDs, almost 1000 times faster , a device with an OLED display can
change the information almost in real time. Video images could be much more
realistic and constantly updated. The newspaper of the future might be an OLED
display that refreshes with breaking news and like a regular newspaper,you could
fold it up when you are done reading it and stick it in your backpack or briefcase.

22
5.3 OLED Market:
At the earl time of OLED technology was targeting displays and small screens for
nomad applications. In this context PMOLED started shipments in 1999, AMOLED
started at the end of 2002. OLED display revenues will grow to about $44 billion in
2019, up from a total product revenue: ~$826 million in 2009 (~73 million units
shipped) [BRO-11] and $4 billion in 2011, with CAGR ~40% . Mobile phone main
display saw strong growth recently and will continue to lead in revenue for the
next several years. The OLED lighting market started to pick up around 2011 [COL-
12]. Following DoE [DOE-14], OLED technology has yet to gain a measurable share
of the general lighting market, but the OLED community is making strides toward
commercializing products for certain applications. Most OLED prototypes have yet
to attain light output levels suitable for many general lighting applications. Initial
products have been largely decorative in nature although some OLED products
have been developed for task lighting applications, such as desk or table lamps and
automotive interior lighting.

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 CHAPTER 6
ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES
6.1 Advantages:
6.1.1 Weight and Substrates:
OLED is light weighted and its displays can be fabricated on flexible plastic
substrates such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), which is used for many new
applications, such as rollup displays.

6.1.2 Cost:
OLEDs are inexpensive and they can be printed onto any suitable substrate by an
inkjet printer or even by screen printing than LCD or plasma displays.

6.1.3 Viewing angles and Brightness:

OLED pixels emit light directly therefore enable a wider viewing angle compared to
LCDs. The pixel color of OLEDs appears unshifted and correct, even as the viewing
angle approaches 90° from normal.

6.1.4 Power efficiency and Thickness:

LCDs cannot show true black as they filter the light emitted from a backlight,
allowing a small fraction of light through. However, OLEDs does not produce light
or consume power, thus allowing true blacks.

6.1.5 Response time:

The response time of OLEDs is faster than an LCD. Using response time
compensation technologies, the fastest modern LCDs can reach as low as 1ms
response times for their fastest color.

6.2 OLED Prices and potential downsizing:

In the domain of OLEDs for displays, the acceptable OLED cost is typically ~$1000-
2000 per m2. OLED lighting costs need to be reduced and efficiency needs to be
improved for mass adoption. The target cost should be $30-100 per m2 [COL-12].
This is a very serious challenge for OLED manufacturers. The production of OLED
panels for lighting has mostly been accomplished in lines with much less
automation, leading to even higher costs per area. The price charged by panel
manufacturers is $10000/m2 or more, leading to luminaire prices in excess of $20

24
000/m2 or $2 000/klm. However, this value can be strongly affected by the
production rate. The OLED-module manufacturing cost evolution as function of the
production capacity.

6.3 Working:
OLED are thin film multi-layer devices consisting of a layer of organic materials
situated between two electrodes, the anode and cathode, all deposited on a
substrate. The organic molecules are electrically conductive as a result of
delocalization of pi electrons caused by conjugation over part or the entire
molecule. The voltage bias from 2.5 to 20V is applied. The Active layers are very
thin so the electric field in the active layers is very high about 105-
107V/cm.Therefore the charge carriers inject across the active layer interfaces. The
electrons are injected from the cathode and holes from the anode. The charge
carriers meet and recombine. Some molecule or polymer segment release energy
as photon or heat. The suitable dopants are added, which release the energy more
efficiently as photons.

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6.4 OLED Material from Avantama:
Avantama specializes in the development of functional materials for printed
electronics applications. Our unprecedented materials expertise has helped us
create a tailor-made, customer-first service that allows you to customize your
materials for specific manufacturing processes and end product properties
If you would like to learn more about the materials that we offer
for OLED technology manufacturing, simply contact a member of the Avantama
team today.

6.5 COMMERCIAL USES:

The technology based on OLED is used in various applications such as displays used
in mobile phones and portable digital media players, car radios and digital cameras
etc. This portable application provides high light output of OLEDs for readability in
sunlight and low power drain. Portable displays are also used intermittently, so the
lower lifespan of organic displays is less of an issue.

6.6 FUTURE SCOPE:

In the field of OLEDs research and development has lead to many future
applications like in the automotive dash boards, heads up display, billboard type
displays. As OLEDs response time is faster than LCDs, OLED display could change
real time information. Video images can be constantly updated and can be more
realistic. Due to its wide viewing angle than LCDs it can replace LCDs in future
therefore it become key technology in the field of flexible displays development.

6.7 Disadvantages:
 Their lifetime is shorter compare to other display types. White,Red and
Green OLED offer lifetime of about 5 to 25 years where as blue OLED offers
about 1.6 years

 It is expensive compare to LCD.

 OLED screens are even worse compare to LCD when subjected to direct
sunlight.

 Overall luminance degradation.

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 CHAPTER 7
CONCLUSION

Organic light emitting diode is more energy efficient which makes

electronic viewing more convenient. Hence it is the revolution in the field of
illumination. So OLED technology is expected as a key technology in the
development of flexible displays. It offers many advantages over both LEDs and
LCDs, as they are thinner, lighter and more flexible than the crystalline layers as in
an LED or LCD.

OLEDs offer many advantages over both LEDs and LCDs. They are thinner,
lighter and more flexible than the crystalline layers in an LED or LCD. They have
large fields of view as they produce their own light. Research and development in
the field of OLEDs is proceeding rapidly and may lead to future applications in
heads up displays, automotive dash boards, billboard type displays etc. Because
OLEDs refresh faster than LCDs, a device with OLED display could change
information almost in real time. Video images could be much more realistic and
constantly updated.

Research and development in the field of OLEDs is proceeding rapidly. And

this may lead to the future application in heads- up displays, automotive
dashboards, billboard type displays, home and office lightings and flexible displays.

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 REFERENCES
[1] [ACA-11] Organic Electronics in Germany, Acatech reports and recommends –
No. 6, National Academy of Science and Engineering (2011)
[2] [BAR-11] J. Norman Bardsley, “Market Opportunities and Manufacturing
Challenges in OLED Lighting”, CCR Workshop Minneapolis June 7, 2011
[3] Burroughes, J. H.; Bradley, D. D. C.; Brown, A. R.; Marks, R. N.; Mackay, K.;
Friend, R. H.; Burns, P. L.; Holmes, A. B. Nature 1990, 347, 539-541.
[4] Tang, C.W.; VanSlyke, S.A. Appl. Phys. Lett. 1987, 51, 913-915.
[5] Tang, J.X.; Lee, C.S.; Lee, S.T.; Xu, Y.B. Chem. Phys. Lett. 2004, 396, 92- 96.
[6] J. Kalinowski, Emission Mechanisms in Organic LightEmitting Diodes, Organic
Electroluminescence, Taylor & Francis, Boca Raton, 2005.
[7] J. Godlewski, M. Obarowska, Organic light emitting devices, Opto-Electronics
15/4 (2007) 179-183.
[8] T. Urabe, The outstanding potential of OLED displays for TV applications, SID
Society for Information Display 24/9 (2008) 14-17
[9] [DOE-12] Solid State Lighting research and development - Manufacturing
Roadmap, Prepared for Building Technologies Office, U.S. Department of Energy,
August 2012

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