January 2009

New 2.8" AMOLED module from OSD with higher lifetime


OSD announces the release of its new OSD0283AMQV-T 2.8 inch diagonal QVGA Active Matrix Organic LED (AMOLED) module. This new full color module has an increased lifetime rating that is now over 30k hours. This highly configurable display module supports multiple interface types; 18-/16-/6-bit RGB (DCLK,VSYNC,HSYNC,DE), Intel/Motorola MPU 18-/16-/9-/8-bit bus interface.



An Old OSD AMOLED panelOSD0283AMQV-T AMOLED module photo


The module has an overall size of 49.1 x 67.7 x 1.85mm. The 43.2 x 57.6mm active area supports a resolution of 240 x RGB x 320 with up to 262k colors.



For more details on the new Module, please contact us



Read the full story Posted: Jan 30,2009

Vitex expands ANS agreement, Samsung SDI uses their systems


Vitex System today announced that it has
expanded its license agreement with Korea-based Advanced Neotech Systems
(ANS), granting ANS rights to develop and manufacture roll-to-roll coating
equipment used in the production of Barix™ Barrier Film.



Vitex made the first agreement with ANS in 2006, allowing ANS to make Barix encapsulation equipment, the Guardian™ System.
ANS has successfully sold eight Guardian systems to produce Vitex's
proprietary Barix technology, including: a pilot system being used by
Samsung SDI to make the world's first foldable OLED
and the thinnest OLED
display that was shown at FPD International 2008 in Yokohama; the first
mass production system; and the first Gen 2 (370mm x 470mm) system. 



Over the past year, Vitex has made excellent progress demonstrating the
unique capabilities of its Barix Barrier Film for encapsulation of
thin-film photovoltaic cells. Multiple companies have been able to verify
that, when protected by Vitex's Barix Barrier Film, their thin film
photovoltaic (PV) cells fabricated using either CIGS or CdTe can pass the
damp heat test required by the IEC 61646 standard. 


Read the full story Posted: Jan 28,2009

Interview with Prof. Karl Leo from the Fraunhofer IPMS


The Fraunhofer IPMS is one of the leading OLED research centers, mostly focused on OLED lighting. I've had the good chance to interview Prof. Karl Leo, the Director of the Institute.



Large Area OLED lighting panel,FraunhoferLarge Area OLED lighting panel,Fraunhofer


Karl talks about COMEDD (their new OLED research/production center), his views on OLED lighting and Europe's plans for this market, their transparent OLED research program, OLED Television, and even an OLED based pico-projector. I think this is a very interesting interview!



Link to interview


Read the full story Posted: Jan 27,2009

Plextronics installs a new $6 million production line

Plextronics has installed a new, $6 million manufacturing line (they call it  the 'D' line). The new line will be operated by 10 employees and can turn out 6-inch square solar panels or OLED displays. They are also trying bendable OLED TVs and other interesting new displays.

Organic Solar Cell Module, by PlextronicsOrganic Solar Cell Module, by Plextronics

This is not really a production line, but more of a pilot line for research and fine-tuning of processes. They hope that by the end of 2009 they'll be able to know what will it require to have a full-scale commercial production line, what will be the capacity, etc.

Read the full story Posted: Jan 27,2009

Leadis Sold its Display Driver Business to AsTEK


Leadis Technology sold its display driver business unit to Korea's AsTEK, for 3.5M$ (plus 0.5M$ of assumed liabilities). Leadis will still hold the rights to the EpiC AMOLED-driver technology, and will grant an exclusive license to AsTEK to use it. So Leadis will get royalties from future units sold.



Leadis also continues to hold the rights to most legacy display driver products already in production and will continue to sell these products to existing customers.


Read the full story Posted: Jan 27,2009

OLED Q&A with Prof. Karl Leo - Institute Director of the Fraunhofer IPMS Page 2

Back to page 1

 

Q: You mentioned once an OLED pico-projector. Can you give some more info on that?
The OLED pico projector is a novel idea to use OLED micro-displays on CMOS-backplane for a new application. Based on the tremendous progress in OLED parameters within the last years, it is possible to realize high-brightness solutions.

Pico-Projectors for mobile devices are a big trend in the international market. LCOS displays, DLP or laser projection are the most prominent technologies in this field. Within the Fraunhofer IPMS we are also working in the field of MEMS scanner-based laser projection. We think that a highly efficient and high-brightness OLED microdisplay could be an interesting alternative by reducing the effort and size for the optics due to its direct emission.

We have already shown a first prototype during our opening of COMEDD and will continue to realize such high-brightness OLED solutions., e.g. within the above-mentioned HYPOLED project. Another side-market to high-brightness OLED microdisplays is related to see-through head-mounted displays (HMD). Employing an emissive OLED source for the display even allows to embed an additional camera on the same area (based on CMOS photodetectors in the silicon backplane), that is used for gaze-tracking, to finally achieve an interactive, eye-controlled HMD.

Q: Another project you are working on is 3D autostereoscopic displays with an OLED backlight. Why use OLEDs and not 'normal' LED backlighting?
The OLED backlight is patterned in stripes with individual control and driving, and based on additional special optics it is used together with an modulating LC panel to realize a full 3D system. Such backlight sub-patterning and integration could be only realized in simple manner by OLEDs, increasing efficiency of the 3D system and reducing the thickness of the whole system.

3D-Display integration by patterned OLED backlight3D-Display integration by patterned OLED backlight

Q: You were involved in the OLLA project, and are also partners in the Oled100.eu project. What is your role in that project? Can you give us any updates?
In the OLLA as well as in the OLED100.eu project, the Fraunhofer IPMS is responsible for the large area fabrication technology and to realize the demonstrators. All large SM-OLED demonstrators shown in the OLLA project have been fabricated at the Fraunhofer IPMS. Within OLED100.eu our target is to realize a first 1x1 m² OLED panel and to develop the necessary fabrication technology. This work is based on the new COMEDD Gen2 fabrication line. We are now in the process installation phase and will show a first demonstrator rather soon.

Large Area OLED lighting panel,FraunhoferLarge Area OLED lighting panel

Q: OLED lighting seems to be very promising these days. Everybody is working on it - in the US, EU and Asia. Who do you think will 'win' the race for the first OLED products? Do you think that Europe's several Project involving many companies and research institutes is the best way to go?
Of course, as a European institute we want that Europe win the race. The first OLED luminaire is already on the market, fabricated by Osram OS in conjunction with Ingo Maurer. To compete in this race we have to keep the pressure on the development and combine every competence in this field.

The combination of industrial, university, and institute resources is a good way to reach this, but it is necessary to avoid too small groups, you need larger groups to achieve fast progress. That’s one of the reasons to establish COMEDD, where we could establish the necessary equipment and human resources to be part in this race.

Q: Where do you see the lighting market in a few years?
We see first products for OLED lighting in 2009/2010, the solutions will be small and very expensive: However, prices will go down and the size will grow. To achieve real general lighting products, we have to still solve many fabrication and cost aspects. We thus expect that the start for general lighting solutions will not be before 2014/2015.

Q: Where do you see OLEDs in 5 years? When do you expect the first OLED lighting products to be 'commercially' available?
As it was already mentioned, the first lighting product is already on the market. New lighting production will start in 2009 and especially 2010. Small- and mid-size displays will probably have penetrated mobile consumer products at a considerable level. Emerging OLED applications beside displays and lighting might be foreseen, e.g., in optoelectronic sensors.

Prof Leo - thank you again for this great interview. I wish you and the Fraunhofer IPMS entire OLED program great success in the coming years. Hopefully your vision of OLED lighting will become a reality soon!

 
Read the full story Posted: Jan 26,2009

OLED Q&A with Prof. Karl Leo - Institute Director of the Fraunhofer IPMS

I recently had the chance to talk with the nice guys over the Fraunhofer IPMS in Germany, and the Institute Director (Prof Karl Leo) have agreed to do a short interview and talk about their OLED program.

These guys have been working on OLED since 2000, now organized under the name Center for Organic Materials and Electronics Devices Dresden (COMEDD). COMEDD's aim is to do not only research, but also pilot fabrication. More on COMEDD here.

Prof. Dr. Karl Leo, since 1993, is full professor of optoelectronics at the Technische Universität Dresden and starting 2007 institute director of the Fraunhofer IPMS. Additionally he is one of the founders of the Spin-Off Novaled AG.

Read the full story Posted: Jan 26,2009