Phosphorescent

Researchers from Seoul National University, in collaboration with researchers from Drexel University have developed the world's most efficient (17% EQE) fully-stretchable OLED device, using an exciplex-assisted phosphorescent layer and MXene-contact stretchable electrodes.

In a fully stretchable OLED, all constituent layers exhibit intrinsic mechanical stretchability. Most reported stretchable displays rely on rigid light-emitting devices connected by stretchable interconnects, and these suffer from poor mechanical reliability at junctions under strain, limited skin conformability, and degradation in display resolution.

This is a guest article by Ole Carstensen, SCM

Blue OLEDs remain one of the most critical, and challenging, components in modern display and lighting technologies. As device architectures grow more complex and performance targets become more demanding, traditional trial-and-error development is no longer sufficient. Leading OLED innovators are increasingly turning to multiscale simulation as a strategic tool to guide material selection, device design, and lifetime optimization.

Modeling and simulations are not replacing experiments, but are accelerators: enabling faster decisions, deeper insight, and reduced development risk. At Software for Chemistry & Materials (SCM), we develop and support the Amsterdam Modeling Suite (AMS) for atomistic simulations, and the 3D kinetic Monte Carlo (3D-KMC) code Bumblebee for advanced device-level modeling. With this toolkit, OLED researchers and device engineers can now connect molecular design choices directly to measurable device performance [1].

Researchers from the University of Michigan and The Pennsylvania State University, in collaboration with OLEDWorks, has managed to create high aspect ratio OLED devices, by fabricating the OLEDs on substrates with sub-millimeter, high aspect ratio surface textures. This design increases the active OLED area per panel, reducing the local current density needed to achieve a given luminance.

The researchers report that this approach can extend the lifetime by up to 2.7X, this was verified on a blue fluorescent OLED device. These devices also offer up to 40% higher light extraction efficiency, as the corrugated substrates scatter the trapped light, significantly boosting EQE.

OLED material developer LORDIN announced that it has achieved a significant breakthrough in its high-efficiency blue phosphorescence OLED emitter development, as it has verified the commercial feasibility of its materials and technology.

LORDIN announced that after six years of intensive research and development, its Jetplex ZRIET platinum phosphorescence blue OLED emitters have improved in stability to the point where the material lifetime is suitable to be used in commercial AMOLED displays.

Universal Display Corporation, or UDC, is one of the OLED industry's pioneers, and the company that probably represents the best success of any startup within the industry. UDC is worth $7 billion, and it has been historically the go-to company for anyone that wants to invest in the OLED industry.

In this article, we detail the company's history, products and technologies, explain what PHOLEDs are all about, and also look into its future, and discuss both bull and bear cases as a investment opportunity. Disclosure: the author of this post holds shares in Universal Display.

The history of Universal Display Corporation

The history of Universal Display starts at 1994, when the company was founded by Sherwin Seligsohn in Ewing, New Jersey. The company was established to commercialize OLED technologies developed at Princeton University and the University of Southern California. UDC holds the basic patents of phosphorescent OLED (branded as PHOLED by UDC) technology. 

According to a report from China, HKC has successfully produced its first OLED display panel, produced at its Innovation Semiconductor Display Industrial Park in Shenzhen.

HKC says that it has managed to overcome all the previous challenges in its OLED production process, following about 5 months of R&D and technical progress. The smartphone-type AMOLED display is produced on an oxide-TFT backplane. The OLED architecture uses red and green phosphorescent emitters and a blue fluorescent emitter. 

OLED technology has transformed the display industry, enabling thinner, lighter, efficient and flexible displays, with superb image quality than ever before. The journey from laboratory discovery to mass-market dominance is marked by a series of pivotal moments. Here, we explore five of the most significant milestones that shaped the OLED landscape, followed by a look at other critical achievements and what the future may hold for the OLED industry and market.

1. The original Kodak OLED moment (1987)

The story of OLED began in 1987 at Eastman Kodak, where Ching Tang and Steven Van Slyke built the first operational OLED device. Their breakthrough combined modern thin-film deposition techniques with suitable organic materials to create a double-layer OLED that could emit light efficiently at low voltages. This foundational work proved that organic materials could be used to make practical light-emitting devices and laid the groundwork for decades of innovation. Kodak continued to develop OLED technologies, until it sold its entire OLED IP to LG for $100 million in 2009.

2. The invention of PHOLEDs and the founding of Universal Display Corporation (UDC, 1994-1998)

While early OLEDs used fluorescent emitters, the next major leap was the development of phosphorescent OLEDs (PHOLEDs). PHOLEDs, pioneered by researchers at Princeton University and the University of Southern California (and commercialized by Universal Display Corporation, founded in 1994), dramatically improved efficiency by allowing nearly 100% internal quantum efficiency, compared to about 25% for fluorescent OLEDs. This efficiency gain was crucial for battery-powered devices and large-area displays.