Current and Future OLED Applications

Currently, OLEDs are used in small-screen devices such as cell phones, PDAs and digital cameras. Way back In September of 2004, Sony announced that it would begin mass production of OLED screens for its CLIE PEG-VZ90 model of it’s personal-entertainment handhelds.

Kodak however, was the first to release a digital camera with an OLED display in March 2003, the EasyShare LS633 [source:Kodak press release].

Several companies have already built prototype computer monitors and large-screen TVs that use OLED technology. In May 2005, Samsung Electronics announced that it had developed a prototype 40-inch, OLED-based, ultra-slim TV, the first of its size [source: Kanellos]. And in October 2007, Sony announced that it would be the first to market with an OLED television. The XEL-1 hit the market in December of 2007 for customers in Japan and listed for 200,000 Yen — or about $1,700 U.S. [source: Sony] It is now on sale in the United States for roughly the same price.

Photo Courtesy Sony The Sony 11-inch XEL-1 OLED TV.

Research and development in the field of OLEDs is proceeding rapidly and may lead to future applications in heads-up displays, automotive dashboards, billboard-type displays, home and office lighting and flexible displays. Because OLEDs refresh faster than LCDs — almost 1,000 times faster — a device with an OLED display could change information almost in real time. Video images could be much more realistic and constantly updated. The newspaper of the future might be an OLED display that refreshes with breaking news (think “Minority Report”) — and like a regular newspaper, you could fold it up when you’re done reading it and stick it in your backpack or briefcase.

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