OLED for solar

Researchers at Sumitomo Chemical and Mitsubishi Chemical are working on "spreadable" OLED displays, that will also double as solar-panels - they might be self powered in this way. The displays can be "painted" on any material, creating a 100nm thin display.

In addition to the solar panel technology, Articulated is the innovative leader in logical, yet truly disruptive, technologies for roll-to-roll LED solid state lighting, OLED manufacturing, and device structures of thin film, flexible, light emissive materials in ILED (Inorganic Light Emitting Diodes) and OLED applications. These applications include lighting, signage, displays, and backlighting, and medical, automotive, architectural and safety products. Articulated also holds IP on new methods of packaging microelectronics and semiconductors, and on printed electronics.

The pilot fabrication system consists of clusters combining thermal evaporation and organic vapor phase deposition (OVPD®) modules. The usable substrate size is 370 x 470 mm² on glass substrates and foils. The targeted tact time is three minutes, resulting in an annual capacity of approximately 13,000 m². The system is designed for efficient materials usage and flexibility in substrate format and organic stack. It is one of the worlds first pilot production systems for OLED lighting and organic based solar cells.

The NanoMarkets report, “Printed Electronics: A Manufacturing Technology Analysis and Capacity Forecast,” provides the first complete analysis of the commercial environment and manufacturing capacity for printable electronics manufacturing. It includes an assessment of the printing equipment used in this space and of the strategies of the manufacturers and integrators supplying the technology. The report profiles 11 leading firms currently producing PE products, describing their current and future manufacturing plans, the kinds of equipment they are using and how they are creating the first printable electronics “fabs,” to meet their expectations of the market. The report also includes a forecast from 2007 to 2013 of printing equipment shipments broken out by type of equipment and whether the equipment is used in an R&D or full-scale production facility.

scientists at National Taiwan University have found a way to improve the contrast by integrating OLEDs with another hot technology: solar cells. Not only do solar cells positioned behind an OLED provide a contrast superior to that achieved with polarizers, but they can also recycle energy that is usually wasted.

Scientists Chih-Jen Yang, Ting-Yi Cho, Chun-Liang Lin, and Chung-Chih Wu explain that OLEDs generally consist of a reflective back electrode, organic layers, and a semi-transparent electrode for light to exit. The reflective back electrode means that the device constantly reflects light, even when the device is off, and degrades the contrast when the display is on. Previous approaches to reduce the ambient light reflection and enhance the contrast result in lost energy from both the incident photons and the stifling of some internal OLED emission.

Novaled and Heliatek have entered into a licensing agreement concerning the use of Novaled PIN OLED™ technology for solar cell application.

With this agreement, Heliatek will develop high performing organic solar cells using the power efficiency given by the Novaled PIN OLED™ technologies and Novaled unique molecular dopants. Both Companies in addition will cooperate on further developing the organic based photovoltaic technologies.

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NanoHorizons, Inc., an emerging leader in applied nanoscale materials and solutions, announced today that it has received a notice of allowance from the US Patent Office for its innovative nanoscale photovoltaic cell design. NanoHorizons' design enables dramatic improvements in solar cell efficiency and breakthrough reductions in fabrication costs. Brighter, more efficient Organic LEDs (OLEDs) are also made possible. The new technology will be available via NanoHorizons' new Technology Licensing Program.
NanoHorizons' design utilizes a single nanoscale-engineered structure to perform both absorption and collection: An array of efficient vertically- aligned collector "nano-spikes" (made of nanofibers, nanowires, nanotubes, or nanoparticle chains) rise throughout a layer of light-absorptive material. By integrating vertical nano-spike collectors into the absorption material itself, energy collection now occurs at 90 degrees to the absorption process.