UDC awarded a DOE $100K Contract to increase white phosphorescent OLED lighting efficacy

Universal Display announced that they have been awarded another Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I $99,900 program from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). Under this program (titled “Novel Optical Enhancement for Thin Phosphorescent OLED Lighting Panels”) Universal Display intends to demonstrate a white phosphorescent OLED lighting panel that meets Energy Star criteria using an optical enhancement technique which improves outcoupling efficiency while preserving the thin, elegant form factor of the white OLED lighting panel.

Universal Display will employ a novel outcoupling technique that performs as well as thicker treatments, such as macro-extractors or outcoupling blocks, but is significantly thinner. Outcoupling enhancements are commonly used to increase the amount of light that is emitted as useful light. In addition to maintaining its thin and light weight form factor, the resulting white PHOLED lighting panel, which UDC intends to deliver to the DOE, may improve the company’s previously reported lighting panel efficacy results by over 25% and demonstrate a desirable path to meet the Energy Star Category B criteria for solid state lighting.