More vivid OLED displays that will last longer and be more efficient are on the horizon as two universities announce a breakthrough in blue OLED technology. Researchers from Singapore’s Institute of Materials Research and Engineering (IMRE) joined forces with the University of Michigan (Ann Arbor) to develop a blue OLED with an efficiency that is double that of the maximum theoretical efficiency limit.
The researchers proved that the efficiency of fluorescent blue OLED devices can reach 9.4%, nearly doubling the current theoretical limit for OLED external quantum efficiency (EQE).
IMRE says the breakthrough allows manufacturers of full colour OLED displays to use the new fluorescent materials to make devices that have significantly longer lifetime, consume less power and can emit pure, and brighter blue light that will give more life-like colours to OLED displays compared to liquid crystal displays (LCDs) and light emitting diode displays (LEDs). The material is also solution-processable making it easy to manufacture and cost-effective.
“One of the reasons why current OLED displays are not as popular as LCD and LED displays is that the blue emitters have short lifetime and poor colour quality,” said Dr Chen Zhikuan, an IMRE Senior Scientist and one of the principal researchers behind the fluorescent OLED development.