Collaboration to accelerate development of blue phosphorescent OLED materials

Idemitsu Kosan and Universal Display Corporation have announced that they have signed a non-exclusive collaboration agreement to accelerate the development of blue phosphorescent OLED materials.

The collaboration will focus on blue phosphorescent OLED materials for use in displays fabricated through "dry' processing methods, such as vacuum thermal evaporation.

Phosphorescent OLEDs are widely seen as critical to the growth of the OLED market because they offer up to four times higher efficiency than conventional fluorescent OLEDs. The development of blue phosphorescent OLED materials has been difficult, as it was originally for fluorescent OLEDs.

After years of research, however, Universal Display made a breakthrough in blue phosphorescent OLED lifetime in 2005.

Since then, Universal Display has achieved a sky blue PHOLED with over 100,000 hours of lifetime, and a light blue PHOLED with over 17,500 hours of lifetime, each at an initial luminance of 200 nits.

Both companies are optimistic that they will be able to accelerate progress in the area of blue phosphorescent OLEDs through this collaboration.

"We believe this development of new phosphorescent OLED technologies and materials, combining with our traditional fluorescent OLED technologies and materials, will contribute to accelerate the commercial growth of the OLED industry," said Shiro Okada, managing executive officer, associate director of Idemitsu Kosan.