TOP EMISSION OLEDs

With the same proprietary cathode that is used for transparent OLEDs, TOLED™ technology can be employed for use in top-emitting OLEDs. Top-emission translates into two novel features. They are:

• Improved active area and power consumption: Especially advantageous for high-resolution, active-matrix OLED applications, top-emitting structures can increase the effective active area of the display. This is achieved by directing emitted light away from — rather than through — the apertures of the thin film transistor (TFT) array that is on the bottom surface. In turn, with more effective active area, the power required to achieve a specific luminance level can also be reduced.
• Use of opaque substrates: By emitting light through the top contact instead of the bottom contact (and substrate), TOLEDs have expanded the variety of substrate materials that can be used. Limited until now by their opacity, metallic foils and certain opaque polymer films have very desirable performance characteristics for OLEDs. View a video. In addition, TOLEDs can also be built on silicon wafers, especially desirable for miniature, high-resolution OLED display applications.

Recognized by many in the industry as a key technology enabler, our proprietary top-emission TOLED technology can open up a variety of new product and performance possibilities that can fuel future industry growth potential.