May 21 2008
Universal Display Corporation, an innovator behind today's and tomorrow's displays and lighting products through its Universal PHOLED(TM) phosphorescent OLED technology, today announced the development of the world's thinnest flexible, active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) display prototype built to date. Resulting from Universal Display's collaboration with Professor Jin Jang of Kyung Hee University, the Company's research demonstrates significant flexibility enhancements and AMOLED robustness when built on ultra-thin metallic foil substrates. This work will be reported in a joint paper at the Society for Information Display (SID) 2008 International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition at the Los Angeles Convention Center in Los Angeles, CA.
The joint paper, which will be presented by Universal Display's Dr. Rui Qing (Ray) Ma, Department Manager, Flexible Displays, discusses the successful fabrication of a low-power flexible AMOLED device built on ultra-thin (25µm) metallic foil substrate. The monochrome device combines an amorphous-Silicon (a-Si) backplane developed and fabricated by Professor Jang's team with a top-emission, phosphorescent OLED front plane from Universal Display. Through flexibility testing, the work shows that these backplanes can operate effectively when conformed repetitively to a tight diameter of 5 millimeters. This is significant in that it demonstrates additional feasibility for product concepts such as the Company's Universal Communication Device™. Dr. Ma will present the findings today during the OLED Display Technology I session in Concourse Hall 152 at 10:40 A.M. PT. The paper is titled “Highly Flexible Low Power Consumption AMOLED Displays on Ultra-Thin Stainless Steel Substrates.”
“We're excited to announce advances in the flexibility and ruggedness of ultra-thin OLED displays, the result of a successful collaboration with our world-class collaborators at Kyung Hee University,” said Steven V. Abramson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Display. “These advances support our initiative to develop flexible OLED display technologies for military and consumer applications, including a ‘roll-out' OLED display for our concept Universal Communication Device.”
DisplaySearch, a worldwide leader in display market research and consulting, projects that the worldwide market for flexible displays has the potential to grow to $4 billion in 2015. Universal Display has been working with the U.S. Department of Defense to develop highly efficient and ruggedized AMOLED displays on metallic foil substrates for use in harsh battlefield conditions. Flexible OLED displays, widely considered to be the next major breakthrough display technology, also offer key advantages, such as an ultra-thin form factor, for a variety of novel consumer applications.