Financial

Universal Display has announced their 4Q 2009 financial results: a net loss of $3.8 million with $4.8 in revenue. Commercial revenue (chemical sales and royalties) rose to $1.9 million from $1.4 million in 4Q 2008 (35%). This shows the fast growth of AMOLED production, mostly by Samsung, and also the fact that LG is gearing up towards a new 3.5G plant in a few month, and have bought more 'development chemicals'.

UDC also reports about AU Optronics efforts to build new production lines (they plan to start mass producing OLEDs again in 2011) - they say that AUO are using their PHOLED materials (which is not a big surprise since they used these back in 2006)

Technocorp Energy (formed by ex-Kodak employees) will license Kodak's OLED Lighting technology from LG. Technocorp plan is to produce efficient OLED panels (70lm/W) at $64/m². This will take time and a lot of effort of course, and the company is looking for funding, partners and joint-ventures to achieve this goal.

Via +PlasticElectronics

Researchers at Stanford University have successfully developed a brand new concept of OLEDs with a few nanometer of graphene as transparent conductor. This paved the way for inexpensive mass production of OLEDs on large-area low-cost flexible plastic substrate, which could be rolled up like wallpaper and virtually applied to anywhere you want. The researchers say that Graphene has the potential to be transparent, high-performance, highly conductive and cheaper by several orders of magnitude than current ITO based solutions. Interestingly just a few weeks ago we reported that Graphene can be used to make organic lighting devices, too.

Graphene OLED

Traditionally, indium tin oxide (ITO) is used in OLEDs, but indium is rare, expensive and difficult to recycle. Scientists have been actively searching for an alternative candidate.

The next generation of optoelectronic devices requires transparent conductive electrodes to be lightweight, flexible, cheap, environmental attractive, and compatible with large-scale manufacturing methods. Graphene (a single layer of graphite) is becoming a very promising candidate due to its unique electrical and optical properties. Very recently, Junbo Wu et al., researchers at Stanford University, successfully demonstrated the application of graphene in OLEDs for the first time.

Remember the Philips Mirrorwall? It's a wall made out of white Lumiblade OLED panels and a camera, and it basically acts as a mirror, display shadow reflections of people standing in front of it. It turns out that Philips are actually offering this limited-edition wall. The price? about 10-12K€ per m² (they'll made it just for you). That's one expensive mirror... But what a spectacular one!

If you want a cheaper option, you can also rent the whole thing for about 10K€ per week (excl. transport, insurance and approx. 3 man-days for installation and dismantling). I'm not sure how large the rented wall will be (in the video it seems rather big).

Korea's Modistech is working on flexible OLED Lighting for indirect applications for quite some time, and are now planning to commercialize the technology in 2010. They will produce 150x150mm flexible OLED panels. Back in 2009, Modistech said they plan to do so in 2011, so apparently they are ahead of schedule.

Modistech's slogan for the displays is 'paper-like, fabric-like and film-like'. They say that they will change the paradigm of lighting from 'to install' to 'to attach'. They want to use OLEDs as indirect lighting which does not require high luminance, and is suitable for the flexible OLEDs. It can be used in furniture, kitchenware, airplanes and especially automobiles (make up light, glove box light, foot light and trunk light).

Modistech say that their technology minimizes the number of substrate processes and is using roll-to-roll deposition and self-developed encapsulation material. They claim that they reduce the manufacturing cost by up to 90%!.

Via FocusOn

DuPont are working on a new OLED (and CIGS solar cells) barrier technology that uses thin layers of ceramic and polymer materials instead of glass. They hope that they'll be able to demo a tool in 2010. Commercialization is expected within a few years.

DuPont says that the new barrier will be cheaper than glass, weight less, and be flexible. DuPont is working under a DOE grant.

Via GreenTechMedia

A group of ex-Kodak employees, who left the company following Kodak's OLED business acquisition by LG in December 2010 has formed a new company, called TechnoCorp Energy. The company (based in New York, US) will work on OLED Lighting, and has already given seed funding. It's not clear yet whether they will use Kodak's OLED Lighting IP, which was bought by LG as part of the acquisition.

In the company's web site, they do not actually mention OLEDs, but rather say they will work on a 'select set of renewable energy projects and working these projects in tandem'.

Via PlusPlasticElectronics