OLED displays enter mainstream

[Jason Dunn]

<a href="http://www.ebnonline.com/story/OEG20020605S0028">http://www.ebnonline.com/story/OEG20020605S0028</a><br /><br />Look what I dug up when I was searching for a good OLED explanation - it seems that OLED is closer than I thought, although there appears to be some serious concerns in adopting OLED. And look at the bottom quote - a 160 x 160 OLED? Hmm - what device could that be for?<br /><br />"Manufacturers of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display devices are pushing hard on the production throttle even as potential customers raise the caution flag over the technology's adoption, costs, and performance. Starting this month, the Netherlands' Royal Philips Electronics and Taiwan's RiTdisplay Corp. separately will begin mass producing OLED products and target them at applications in the communications and consumer electronics markets. Another Taiwan company, SK Corp., a joint venture between Eastman Kodak Co. and Sanyo Electric Co. Ltd., will begin production later this year...<br /><br />...RiTdisplay is starting to produce a 2.67in. passive-matrix OLED display with 160 ¥ 160-pixel resolution for PDAs and game-box applications, according to Bruce Lu, director of marketing at the company's Marketing and Sales division."

[Madoc Owain]

I've been following the OLED market since '97-'98 as an investor in Universal Display Corp (ticker = PANL). OLED and FOLED (flexible OLED, as envisioned in the movie "Red Planet" - those "scroll" displays they used on the planet) technology is within a year of really taking off. Besides using less power (and so give off less heat), they're brighter, have better viewing angles, and are thin as can be. Other applications include lighting, billboard and other signage, lasers, etc. The "stopper" thus far has been getting the blue to last as long as the green and reds - 10,000 hours+. That problem seems to have been licked or worked around, and UDC is licensing to Samsung and Sony, as well as Aixtron.

At a recent conference, Sony displayed a 13", full-color OLED flat-panel monitor. It was 2mm thick including the case, and looked beautiful.

For more information, look at the PANL forum in Yahoo! Stocks, and take a look at http://www.madocowain.com/About/UDC/2001meeting.html - last pics on the page show OLEDs as of the stockholder's meeting last June. This June I hope they'll have something full-color to show.

M.O.
http://www.madocowain.com

[dazz]

Here's another tidbit on displays that I found interesting. E Ink has prototypes of their electronic ink that look very interesting. Very thin, and would be extremely readable.

http://news.com.com/2100-1040-933471.html

Not sure about a few things with technology though; will it do colour and will the floating-ball type technology be able to switch on and off quickly enough for video, games, flash, etc.

Anyone know?

Dazz

[dazz]

Oooooops!!!

Just noticed you already had a posting about this article.

Sorry.

[Rob Alexander]

"OLEDs are emissive, and everyone wants a bright, readable display,” said Peter Hopper, chief executive of the Mobile Display Systems Group at Philips.

Does that mean they will not be readable in sunlight? :?:

[Madoc Owain]

No problems viewing in sunlight I would think.. at least, no more than the LCDs we have now.. probably better than that since the viewing angles are so much better than LCD.

M.O.