Rapid growth expected from the OLED lighting industry

Recent reports indicate that the OLED market is set to take off and reach $2.7 billion by 2015 with rapid growth expected from the OLED lighting industry creating demand of up to 90% for OLED materials by volume.

 

OLEDs represent the future of a vast array of completely new lighting applications. By combining color with shape, organic LEDs will create a new way of decorating and personalizing people's surroundings with light. At the same time OLEDs offer the potential to become even more efficient than energy-saving bulbs. The benefits of OLED technology are well known and many companies are working to extend those benefits and accelerate OLED adoption.

 

In a recent interview with IDTechEx, Konica Minolta in Japan said their joint venture on reel to reel production of OLED lighting will have commercial product in only two years and claim to have cracked the barrier layer problem with their own technology.

 

Novaled has become one of Germany's fastest growing mid size companies with an average revenue growth of more than 400% in the last five years and leads a list of the top 100 fastest growing German mid size companies. They claim world records in power efficiency (e.g. green OLED with more than 120 lm/W at 1,000 cd/m2), life-time red top emission (over 1,000,000 h at 1,000 cd/m2) and have over 400 patents granted or pending worldwide.

 

Two contracts of $750,000 have been awarded to Universal Display Corporation by the US Department of Energy (DOE) to advance performance of Universal Display's white OLED technology toward meeting the DOE's targets for solid-state lighting. They are working with a network of world-class organizations, including Princeton University, the University of Southern California, the University of Michigan, and PPG Industries, Inc.

 

Eastman Kodak USA continue to make greater than 50 percent year-over-year improvements in OLED luminance efficiencies over the past few years. They recently announced the introduction of a highly efficient OLED material that utilizes green dopant technology that control color output and boost efficiency for solid-state lighting applications. Earlier this year Frost & Sullivan recognized Kodak's position as an OLED pioneer by presenting the company with its 2008 Technology Leadership Award.

 

For a comprehensive list of companies, university research centers and research institutes involved with the research and development of OLED technologies - the most active ones being profiled in more detail, with information that detail activities, developments, successes and future plans, plus much more read Displays and Lighting: OLED, e-paper, electroluminescent and beyond .

 

Also read other articles OLED100.eu research consortium to spearhead the advancement of OLEDs , European projects accelerate OLED technology for mainstream lighting , OLEDs - The future of architectural lighting , A major milestone - white OLED technology exceeds 100 lm/W  and attend Printed Electronics USA 2008 .