Patent Awarded for Ink-Jet Printing of OLED Displays

[Audioholics]

Universal Display Corporation (UDC) announced today that it has been awarded a significant patent covering ink-jet printing of phosphorescent OLED displays, US Patent No. 6,982,179, titled "Structure and Method of Fabricating Organic Devices". Universal Display is developing new technologies for the direct printing of PHOLED materials by ink-jet printing and other low-cost manufacturing techniques. The Company's broad patent capitalizes on ink-jet printing's potential to become a low-cost manufacturing process, opening an additional avenue for the future mass production of large-area OLED displays. Let's just hope they successfully produce technology and products and don't end up holding the patent to make money off others' licensing of this new technology.

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[Hi Ho]

Wow, there doesn't seem to be much intrest in OLED. I don't see why. It's shaping up to be a real advancment in display and lighting technology! I'm really excited about it. Inkjet printing opens up a whole new realm of possibilities and much cheaper production, as stated in the article.

There are so many possibilities, from super thin flourecent light replacements that would stick on the ceiling like a piece of paper, to transparent displays, to displays integrated into clothes, to flexible/foldable displays, the list could go on and on. I'm surprised the the general lack of interest.


I haven't even mentioned the fact that OLED promises some of the best picture quality to date, right up there with SED, with absolute black capability and excellent colors.

Ever since I got my ZenMicro Photo, which has a small OLED, my interest has been peaked. I guess it must be seen to be believed.

 

[j_garcia]

The technology has been around for a few years, but it just hasn't caught on. The big manufacturers are still focusing on Plasma and LCD, and to a lesser percentage on various projection methods. I think it is a viable product, but probably more for lighting than as a good display method in the near term. My understanding is that OLED is still mostly useful for small displays at this time. I always thought it was a cool technology and wanted to see it develop....right until I started working at a company in the LCD industry

 

[BMXTRIX]

I always thought it was a cool technology and wanted to see it develop....right until I started working at a company in the LCD industry

There's a little honesty for all of us!

OLED sounds fantastic. Really, the idea of getting the weight down and perhaps being able to make them within a flexible structure is great. I think that shipping weight and size will always hit the price of larger displays. Projectors are really coming into their own (front projection) because it requires a LOT less raw materials, far less weight, and far less room to achieve a huge image.

If OLED could replicate that, without the limitations of front projection... then take image quality further than LCD and plasma... wow, that would really be something.

Of course SED is in the works as well - but that seems as much a straight up competitor to LCD/plasma as anything else. Still be a very heavy case.