EU project to advance OLED lighting

Osram Opto Semiconductors is co-ordinating the CombOLED project, which aims to achieve cost effective OLED lighting solutions.

Osram Opto Semiconductors is spearheading the effort to develop cost-effective volume production methods for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) under the CombOLED project, a European funded research and development project that was conceived to combine new device structures, advantageous manufacturing approaches and less complex materials with the aim to achieve cost effective OLED lighting solutions.

OLEDs are ultrathin, super-light, impressively bright and consume very little energy.

Experts expect that the technology will become a major force in general lighting in a market that will be worth billions of Euros by 2015.

These flat light sources have excellent technical characteristics: they last more than 10,000 hours, offer high luminance (1000cd/m) and have an efficiency of 40 to 60 lumen/W.

Before OLEDs can become widely used in mass markets, such as general lighting applications, the industry must first develop cost-effective production techniques.

"The objective of the CombOLED project, which is being funded by the EU and co-ordinated by Osram, is to create the necessary conditions for introducing the new light sources into lighting applications", said Bernhard Stapp, Head of Solid State Lighting at Osram Opto Semiconductors.

This includes methods for cost-effective printing of new component architectures for large-format transparent light sources.

As an innovation driver in the LED market and a pioneer in the mass production of semiconductor components, Osram Opto Semiconductors is bringing valuable knowhow to the EU project.

OLED light sources are complementary to the vast majority of existing light sources.

Their major strengths shine where their special properties as flat light sources with a high quality of light are valued, such as in lighting canopies, light partitions and windows that become light sources themselves after sundown.

With their pleasant diffused light, OLEDs will soon be appearing in the premium design segment.

Architecture and effect lighting and the general lighting market will follow as soon as OLEDs can be manufactured in large quantities at reasonable cost and are scalable.

The CombOLED project is part of a broad initiative by the European Union in the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7).

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