TechBlog

White organic light-emitting diodes offer a power efficiency, lifetime, and brightness that together constitute a significant advance toward viable devices for lighting.

Light-emitting diodes (LEDs) are used in both displays and illumination applications because they are small, robust, and potentially very efficient. Organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) continue to gain attention from the scientific and industrial community. In contrast to their inorganic counterpart, OLEDs are flat and diffuse area light sources with the device thickness being in the range of 1–2mm. Thus far, OLED development has been triggered mainly by applications in the display segment, starting with applications for MP3 music players, mobile phones, and other portable devices. Recently, Sony brought to market the first OLED TV, which indicates that a more general penetration of the display market is close at hand.

OLEDs have not yet entered the lighting market, but that will probably change soon. Already most of the big players in the field are preparing for OLEDs to become ‘the next big thing.’ However, several critical problems need to be solved before widespread use for lighting becomes feasible. Specifically, the lifetimes, power efficiencies, reliability, and cost-effectiveness of white OLEDs must be able to compete with existing lighting technologies.

Continue reading ‘Making highly efficient white light-emitting diodes’ »

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. -

Engineers have created the first “active matrix” display using a new class of transparent transistors and circuits, a step toward realizing applications such as e-paper, flexible color monitors and “heads-up” displays in car windshields.

The transistors are made of “nanowires,” tiny cylindrical structures that are assembled on glass or thin films of flexible plastic. The researchers used nanowires as small as 20 nanometers - a thousand times thinner than a human hair - to create a display containing organic light emitting diodes, or OLEDS. The OLEDS are devices that rival the brightness of conventional pixels in flat-panel television sets, computer monitors and displays in consumer electronics.

Continue reading ‘Engineers make first ‘active matrix’ display using nanowires’ »

Scratch-resistant Gorilla glass provides an ultra-durable screen for handheld devices without compromising image quality.

At Corning Incorporated’s annual investor meeting in New York, the 800-pound gorilla in the room will be a thin and elegant sheet of glass tough enough to withstand daily use and abuse—without scratching. Developed for touch-screen applications and high-end portable devices, Corning’s Gorilla glass technology addresses the challenge of providing an ultra-durable screen for handheld devices without compromising image quality. The fusion-formed glass features a pristine surface that requires no polishing, reducing time and cost for customers.

Dr. Joseph A. Miller, Chief Technology Officer, will confirm during his investor update that Gorilla glass is now commercially available and is being sold to mobile-device manufacturers. Corning’s newest technology joins a growing platform of innovations addressing key challenges, shaping the future of portable displays: durability, longevity, and functionality.

Other recent technology developments addressing these challenges include: Continue reading ‘Corning Extends Fusion Process to Touch-Screen Applications’ »