OLED technology is used in commercial applications such as displays for mobile phones and portable digital media players, car radios and digital cameras among others. Such portable applications favor the high light output of OLEDs for readability in sunlight and their low power drain. Portable displays are also used intermittently, so the lower lifespan of organic displays is less of an issue. Prototypes have been made of flexible and rollable displays which use OLEDs' unique characteristics. Applications in flexible signs and lighting are also being developed.
[70] PhilipsLighting have made OLED lighting samples under the brand name "Lumiblade" available online
[71] and Novaled AG based in Dresden, Germany, introduced a line of OLED desk lamps called "Victory" in September, 2011.
[72]
OLEDs have been used in most Motorola and Samsung colour cell phones, as well as some HTC, LG and Sony Ericssonmodels.[73] Nokia has also introduced some OLED products including the N85 and the N86 8MP, both of which feature anAMOLED display. OLED technology can also be found in digital media players such as the Creative ZEN V, the iriver clix, the Zune HD and the Sony Walkman X Series.
The Google and HTC Nexus One smartphone includes an AMOLED screen, as does HTC's own Desire and Legend phones. However due to supply shortages of the Samsung-produced displays, certain HTC models will use Sony's SLCD displays in the future,[74] while the Google and Samsung Nexus S smartphone will use "Super Clear LCD" instead in some countries.[75]
Other manufacturers of OLED panels include Anwell Technologies Limited (Hong Kong),[76] AU Optronics (Taiwan),[77] Chi Mei Corporation (Taiwan),[78] LG (Korea),[79] and others.[80]
DuPont stated in a press release in May 2010 that they can produce a 50-inch OLED TV in two minutes with a new printing technology. If this can be scaled up in terms of manufacturing, then the total cost of OLED TVs would be greatly reduced. Dupont also states that OLED TVs made with this less expensive technology can last up to 15 years if left on for a normal eight hour day.[81][82]
The use of OLEDs may be subject to patents held by Eastman Kodak, DuPont, General Electric, Royal Philips Electronics, numerous universities and others.[83] There are by now thousands of patents associated with OLEDs, both from larger corporations and smaller technology companies [1].
Samsung applications
By 2004 Samsung, South Korea's largest conglomerate, was the world's largest OLED manufacturer, producing 40% of the OLED displays made in the world,[84]and as of 2010 has a 98% share of the global AMOLED market.[85] The company is leading the world OLED industry, generating $100.2 million out of the total $475 million revenues in the global OLED market in 2006.[86] As of 2006, it held more than 600 American patents and more than 2800 international patents, making it the largest owner of AMOLED technology patents.[86]
Samsung SDI announced in 2005 the world's largest OLED TV at the time, at 21 inches (53 cm).[87] This OLED featured the highest resolution at the time, of 6.22 million pixels. In addition, the company adopted active matrix based technology for its low power consumption and high-resolution qualities. This was exceeded in January 2008, when Samsung showcased the world's largest and thinnest OLED TV at the time, at 31 inches and 4.3 mm.[88]
In May 2008, Samsung unveiled an ultra-thin 12.1 inch laptop OLED display concept, with a 1,280×768 resolution with infinite contrast ratio.[89]According to Woo Jong Lee, Vice President of the Mobile Display Marketing Team at Samsung SDI, the company expected OLED displays to be used in notebook PCs as soon as 2010.[90]
In October 2008, Samsung showcased the world's thinnest OLED display, also the first to be "flappable" and bendable.[91] It measures just 0.05 mm (thinner than paper), yet a Samsung staff member said that it is "technically possible to make the panel thinner".[91] To achieve this thickness, Samsung etched an OLED panel that uses a normal glass substrate. The drive circuit was formed by low-temperature polysilicon TFTs. Also, low-molecular organic EL materials were employed. The pixel count of the display is 480 × 272. The contrast ratio is 100,000:1, and the luminance is 200 cd/m². The colour reproduction range is 100% of the NTSC standard.
In the same month, Samsung unveiled what was then the world's largest OLED Television at 40-inch with a Full HD resolution of 1920×1080 pixel.[92] In the FPD International, Samsung stated that its 40-inch OLED Panel is the largest size currently possible. The panel has a contrast ratio of 1,000,000:1, a colour gamut of 107% NTSC, and a luminance of 200 cd/m² (peak luminance of 600 cd/m²).
At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in January 2010, Samsung demonstrated a laptop computer with a large, transparent OLED display featuring up to 40% transparency[93] and an animated OLED display in a photo ID card.[94]
Samsung's latest AMOLED smartphones use their Super AMOLED trademark, with the Samsung Wave S8500 and Samsung i9000 Galaxy S being launched in June 2010. In January 2011 Samsung announced their Super AMOLED Plus displays, which offer several advances over the older Super AMOLED displays: real stripe matrix (50% more sub pixels), thinner form factor, brighter image and an 18% reduction in energy consumption.[95]
At CES 2012, Samsung introduced the first 55" TV screen that uses Super OLED technology.[96]
Sony applications
Sony XEL-1, the world's first OLED TV.
[97] (front)
The Sony CLIÉ PEG-VZ90 was released in 2004, being the first PDA to feature an OLED screen.[98] Other Sony products to feature OLED screens include the MZ-RH1 portable minidisc recorder, released in 2006[99] and the Walkman X Series.[100]
At the 2007 Las Vegas Consumer Electronics Show (CES), Sony showcased 11-inch (28 cm, resolution 960×540) and 27-inch (68.5 cm, full HD resolution at 1920×1080) OLED TV models.[101] Both claimed 1,000,000:1 contrast ratios and total thicknesses (including bezels) of 5 mm. In April 2007, Sony announced it would manufacture 1000 11-inch OLED TVs per month for market testing purposes.[102] On October 1, 2007, Sony announced that the 11-inch model, now called the XEL-1, would be released commercially;[97] the XEL-1 was first released in Japan in December 2007.[103]
In May 2007, Sony publicly unveiled a video of a 2.5-inch flexible OLED screen which is only 0.3 millimeters thick.[104] At the Display 2008 exhibition, Sony demonstrated a 0.2 mm thick 3.5 inch display with a resolution of 320×200 pixels and a 0.3 mm thick 11 inch display with 960×540 pixels resolution, one-tenth the thickness of the XEL-1.[105][106]
In July 2008, a Japanese government body said it would fund a joint project of leading firms, which is to develop a key technology to produce large, energy-saving organic displays. The project involves one laboratory and 10 companies including Sony Corp. NEDO said the project was aimed at developing a core technology to mass-produce 40 inch or larger OLED displays in the late 2010s.[107]
In October 2008, Sony published results of research it carried out with the Max Planck Institute over the possibility of mass-market bending displays, which could replace rigid LCDs and plasma screens. Eventually, bendable, transparent OLED screens could be stacked to produce 3D images with much greater contrast ratios and viewing angles than existing products.[108]
Sony exhibited a 24.5" prototype OLED 3D television during the Consumer Electronics Show in January 2010.[109]
In January 2011, Sony announced the PlayStation Vita handheld game console (the successor to the PSP) will feature a 5-inch OLED screen.[110]
On February 17, 2011, Sony announced its 25" OLED Professional Reference Monitor aimed at the Cinema and high end Drama Post Production market.[111]
On January 07, 2012 Sony announced they will abandon OLED development for the mass market and instead settle on adopting "Crystal LED" as an alternative.[112][113]
LG applications
As of 2010, LG Electronics produced one model of OLED television, the 15 inch 15EL9500[114] and has announced a 31" OLED 3D television for March 2011.[115] On December 26, 2011, LG officially announced the "world's largest 55" OLED panel" then featured it at CES 2012.[116]
Recom Group/Video Name Tag applications
On January 6, 2011, Los Angeles based technology company, Recom Group introduced the first small screen consumer application of the OLED at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This was a 2.8" OLED display being used as a wearable Video Name Tag..[117] At the Consumer Electronics Show in 2012, Recom Group introduced the World's first Video Mic Flag incorporating three 2.8" OLED displays on a standard broadcasters mic flag. The Video Mic Flag allowed video content and advertising to be shown on a broadcasters standard mic flag
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