Oct 15.2024

OLED Displays - What are the advantages?

What is OLED?

The History of OLED

Key Components of an OLED Display

Advantages and Disadvantages of OLED Display

Where Can OLEDs be Found today?

When to Choose an OLED Display for Commercial Applications?

How Does OLED Display Different From LED/QLED Display?





One of the wonderful things that technology has brought us are OLED displays. These types of displays are of high quality and have discernable advantages that should be explored if you are in the market for a modern display with features you have come to expect. In today's fast-paced world it pays to stay informed on the qualities of an OLED display.

 

What is OLED?

 

The OLED acronym stands for "Organic Light-Emitting Diode". Another different way of naming OLED is "organic electroluminescent diode". It creates light directly from electricity. It differs from the old way of applying electricity to a filament and then that filament creating light plus heat. Instead, OLED displays have thin layers of glass, plastic and special organic molecules that respond to an electric charge. Heat is kept to a minimum. Touching an OLED display brings practically no sense of warmth. Less energy is wasted. This is an important advancement compared to energy wasting CRT monitors of days gone by. The flyback transformer used to control the electron beam of the CRT created plenty of heat. Not so with OLED displays.

 

The History of OLED

 

The modern discovery of OLED technology was accomplished back in 1987. Two scientists, Steven Van Slyke and Ching Tang working for Eastman Kodak, discovered organic substances that would create light at low voltages. In the early 1960s the discovery of the delayed flourescence of eosin was a founding process of what is now the OLED. Another basic organic source, anthracene crystals, would also play a part in creating today's OLED. The problem with these earlier discoveries was the high voltages needed to produce light. Fluorescence under low voltages was needed and the scientists at Eastman Kodak accomplished this task.

 

The different types of colored OLEDs started to come forth from these two Kodak scientists. The yellow and green colors of the visible spectrum came first. The voltage required to produce light in the yellow to green color spectrum (550 nanometers) was under ten volts. Two years later came the orange and red spectrum, which correspond to 570 to 650 nanometers in the electromagnetic spectrum of visible light. Producing working OLEDs in this spectrum had a special obstacle to overcome. This was the energy gap law. This law will not be explained here but it was overcome in 1989 by scientist C. W. Chen to create diodes that shine red. It was an easier task to get from the red spectrum to the blue spectrum in electroluminescent technology by doping the diodes with a suitable material.

 

As progress was made different types of OLEDs were created. Some later examples would be the AMOLED, or Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode. These came in 2006 and were developed by Samsung. Active matrix displays have a separate driver for each pixel. Typically there are two transistors and one capacitor for each pixel of an AMOLED display. This is different from a PMOLED (passive matrix OLED) that illuminates its pixels by rows and columns.

 

Key Components of an OLED Display

 

The main part of the oled displays is the OLED emitter. This is an organic ingredient that produces light when electricity is on. The base structure of the OLED system is a layer that stays between an anode and a cathode. Modern OLED appliances have more layers just to make them durable and efficient, but the primary functions stay the same. An OLED panel is made of the front plane, backplane, electrode, encapsulation layer, and substrate. This system is highly sensitive to moisture and oxygen so the layer is complex to understand.

 

Substrate

 

The foundation of an OLED display is a glass or plastic substrate. This transparent material provides a stable surface for the other components.

 

Organic Layers

 

Multiple layers of organic materials are deposited onto the substrate. These layers consist of:

 

  • Emitter Layer: This layer contains organic molecules that emit light when electrically stimulated.
  • Hole Transport Layer: Transports positive charges (holes) to the emitter layer.
  • Electron Transport Layer: Transports negative charges (electrons) to the emitter layer.

 

Transparent Conductive Layer

 

This layer is placed on either side of the organic layers and acts as a transparent electrode. It allows electrical current to flow into and out of the organic layers.

 

Encapsulation Layer

 

To protect the delicate organic layers from moisture and oxygen, which can degrade their performance, an encapsulation layer is applied on top. This layer typically consists of a barrier material that prevents environmental factors from reaching the organic layers.

 

Advantages and Disadvantages of OLED Display

 

Advantages of OLED Display

 

  • OLED is a thinner version of a display screen that is made of crystalline layers used in LCD and LEDs.
  • The light-emitting layer is high in OLED; the substrate of the display is far more flexible than rigid. The substrate of OLED is plastic or it can be a glass that is generally used in LCDs and LEDs.
  • LED is dimmer than OLED and this is because of the thin organic layers that help in the light emission. Also, OLED does not need glass support which is one of the main components of LCD and LED. OLED can use plastic material for the fine display.
  • The system of OLED does not require backlighting as the LCD needs it. LCDs blocks the backlight areas to show the images to you but in the case of OLED, the images are generated by themselves. Also, just because it doesn't need backlighting, the power consumption is less than the other light systems.
  • Battery-operated devices are best used in this category where power consumption is lower.
  • OLED is easy to manufacture and it can be made into a larger size. Also, the best benefit here is that OLED supports plastic. That's why it can be created into large sheets. While glass is difficult to expand.

 

Disadvantages of OLED

 

There aren't many disadvantages of OLED, but it can cause some issues such as:

 

  • The colors of OLED can be problematic and blue organics have a shorter lifetime than the others.
  • The manufacturing process is expensive and water can damage the OLED system.

 

Where Can OLEDs be Found today?

 

OLED technology has gained significant traction in various applications, ranging from small-scale devices to large-format displays.

 

Consumer Electronics:

 

  • Smartphones: OLED displays have become a standard feature in high-end smartphones, offering superior picture quality, deeper blacks, and wider viewing angles.
  • Smartwatches: Smaller OLED displays provide clear and readable information, often including health metrics, weather updates, and a flashlight.
  • Laptops: OLED laptops offer vibrant colors, high contrast ratios, and reduced eye strain.

 

Commercial Displays:

 

  • Large-Format TVs: OLED TVs are known for their exceptional picture quality and are popular among home theater enthusiasts.
  • Digital Signage: OLED displays are used in various commercial settings, including retail stores, restaurants, and airports, to showcase dynamic content and attract attention.
  • Video Walls: Large-scale video walls composed of multiple OLED displays create immersive and visually stunning experiences.

 

Emerging Applications:

 

  • Heads-Up Displays: OLED displays are used in motorcycle helmets to provide essential information to riders without obstructing their view.
  • Transparent OLEDs: Transparent OLED technology is being developed for applications like automotive displays and augmented reality glasses.

 

As OLED technology continues to advance, we can expect to see it integrated into even more innovative and exciting products in the future.

 

When to Choose an OLED Display for Commercial Applications?

 

OLED displays offer exceptional visual quality, making them ideal for commercial applications that prioritize stunning visuals. Here are some key considerations:

 

  • High-Resolution Content: If your application requires displaying high-resolution images, videos, or graphics, OLED displays are an excellent choice due to their superior pixel density and contrast ratios.
  • Deep Blacks and Vibrant Colors: OLED displays are known for their ability to produce deep blacks and a wide range of vibrant colors, making them ideal for applications that require a visually striking presentation.
  • Wide Viewing Angles: OLED displays offer consistent viewing angles, ensuring that content is displayed accurately and vividly from various perspectives.
  • Thin and Lightweight Design: OLED displays are significantly thinner and lighter than traditional LCD displays, making them suitable for applications where space is limited or a sleek design is desired.
  • Low Power Consumption: OLED displays are more energy-efficient than LCD displays, reducing operating costs and environmental impact.

 

If your commercial application demands exceptional image quality, wide viewing angles, and a sleek design, an OLED display is likely the best choice.

 

How Does OLED Display Different From LED/QLED Display?

 

Traditional LED displays work based on LCD technology, which is tested and tried structure. The LCD screen is produced by a thin section of transistor grid that uses small crystalline components. This procedure is of the dark and light pixels, but the light emits from the LED storage. The best way to check LCD screens is to it use LED backlight for better contrast and dimming of the screen. It offers a better display than the previous version of it. Also, OLED offers safety for the eyes which will not irritate your vision.

 

QLED displays are not built like OLED displays. The QLED display uses quantum dots that reproduce light in response to electricity similar to the OLED. But quantum dot displays transform blue light that is delivered to them. Their blue backlight is changed into white light by using red and blue quantum dots. QLEDs are brighter than their OLED counterparts. They are also higher priced and still in an early developmental stage. OLEDs emit their own light and their own colors and are lower priced than QLEDs. The LED display is simply a panel of light-emitting diodes and is usually used for signage.