Flexible OLED Displays
We live in the information age. People increasingly expect information at their fingertips anywhere and anytime. That means displays that go wherever we do. In addition, the history of the electronics industry tells us that devices decrease in size and weight by a factor of 10 every 10 years. Addressing both these trends simultaneously will demand a new generation of mechanically flexible, foil-based displays.
Our flexible OLED display technology integration program aims to develop an economically scalable route to high-volume manufacturing of such a display. It targets improvements in display size resolution, power consumption, outdoor readability, flexibility and weight. To do this, the program tackles a number of individual challenges in an integrated approach. These challenges include:
- Developing new OLED, organic and metal oxide semiconductor materials for printing and self-aligned lithographic processes
- Redesigning pixel circuits and backplane matrices to support larger, higher-resolution displays, and developing new addressing schemes
- Developing new display manufacturing techniques such as fine patterning equipment for backplanes and tools for integrated roll-to-roll manufacturing
- Process integration
As OLEDs are an emerging technology, there is a wide range of promising candidate materials for producing flexible displays. As a result the program takes a very broad view and considers numerous options to provide the industry with flexibility and design choice freedom. For example, it is investigating polymer and small molecule OLED displays combined with organic and low-temperature metal oxide transistor backplanes.
The program brings together partners from across the value chain including materials and equipment suppliers as well as component and device manufacturers. Large multinationals, SMEs and startups with specific know-how can all add value to and benefit from the program.