OLED
The future of light.
OLEDs (organic light emitting diodes) are thin light sources made of organic semiconductor materials. Today this technology is primarily used for displays and lighting. OLEDs are glare free light surfaces, in contrast to the light point source LED, which are optimal for illuminating rooms.
Composition
An OLED consists of very thin glass on which transparent conductive layers act as an anode. On this layer, one by one, multiple layers of organic materials are placed upon. The opposite pol (cathode) is in turn formed by a metallic layer. Light is created by applying an electric voltage.
The term „organic“ in this context references organic chemistry. This is a subdomain of chemistry in which carbon based compounds are treated.
Operating Principle
The light of the OLED is achieved through „electroluminescence“. Electroluminescence (el) is a form of luminescent material in which a solid body is induced to emit electromagnetic radiation in the form of light by applying voltage.
In the OLED the solid body is placed between two thin layers between electrodes (anode and cathode). If voltage is applied to the OLED then theses layers start to light up.
The white light is hereby produced through an additive color mix. This implies that the combination of red, green and blue layers creates the tone of white that is created. For the LED, in general, efficient blue light with a phosphor layer is used which converts the blue light into white light. The drawback is the relatively high remaining blue content and in turn the bluish appearance of the light.
Advantages
OLEDs are efficient and glare free light sources which manage to omit reflectors, cooling and diffusers and therefore enable a reduction of components in luminaires. This is visible in our products due to their low construction height.
The light of the OLED has an especially soft and pleasant appearance. OLEDs therfore are especially well suited for applications like accent lighting and applications close to humans.
The OLED with its features therefore does not compete with LED, but stands as a complement within the lighting technology.
Distinction from LED
The organic materials of the OLED can be produced with much less energy in comparison to the crystalline, inorganic materials of the LED.
OLEDs are a glare free light surface in comparison to the point light source LED and therefore manage to be used for lighting in rooms without components like diffusors, reflectors or heat sinks.
OLED Manufacturers
In Germany i. a. Merck is a manufacturer of organic materials; in the year 2006 the first OLED luminaire was developed there.
Worldwide multiple OLED processors exist which create high quality light sources. Due to the, for us, relevant technical properties for our OMLED One products we use OLEDWorks, which has a production plant in Aachen. Collectively all our components are 100% produced in Germany.
