Ask a GE Advanced Technology research scientist about OLED manufacturing techniques today, and she may answer we are still in the age of Gutenberg. This is in contrast to the news that came and went in March, of a breakthrough OLED manufacturing technology that prints light emitting diodes on a roll-to-roll press just like your newspaper.

Steve Sechrist
Senior Analyst and Editor

The research team at GE Global Research (Niskayuna, NY; www.ge.com/research) decided that to bring OLED manufacturing into the 21st century, new (non vacuum) techniques were needed in the production of OLED emitters. "Our proposal was to build a research roll-to-roll line for making OLEDs and our deliverable was to show that OLEDs could be made on it. We’ve been working to make this happen for the past 4 years." According to their official Blog site "From Edison’s Desk" (www.grcblog.com).

The group partnered with Energy Conversion Devices, Inc. (Rochester Hills, MI; www.ovonic.com) (ECD) and the U.S. Commerce Department’s National Institute of Standards and Technology (Washington, DC; www.nist.gov) which put up some grant money to fund the project.

Over the four year period, GE researchers provided the organic electronics technology and were responsible for developing the roll-to-roll processes, while ECD provided its unique roll-to-roll equipment-building expertise to build the machine that manufactures the OLED devices.

The GE Research team couldn’t have picked a better partner than ECD. The company has a 20-year history of pioneering research in roll-to-roll technology according to ECD vice president, Nancy Bacon. The company manufactures its photovoltaic (PV) modules using its vacuum deposition and large-scale, roll-to-roll manufacturing processes to deposit amorphous silicon as a thin film on a roll of stainless steel. They design, develop, and manufacture the automated production equipment based on these process technologies and make money doing it. "We currently are utilizing this technology to mass produce our flexible, durable and lightweight UNI-SOLAR brand solar laminates." Bacon said.

With lighting efficiencies currently at 30 lu/W and the goal to be in full OLED production for commercial lighting using this roll-to-roll process by 2010, the GE research team has indeed passed a major manufacturing milestone in moving OLED production away from the inefficiencies of "conventional batch processing." While open questions still exist on the technology’s application in making OLED displays, particularly large displays for TVs or even some futuristic "video wallpaper", there is little doubt the industry is looking hard at this approach, as this can shake things up quite a bit.

In fact we found a comment on that same Edison’s Desk blog site from Cambridge Display Technology president, David Fyfe who remarked that "GE never did believe you can make mass-market lighting in a vacuum chamber. OLED has to be printed to successfully compete with conventional technology." So printing may be the next big thing in OLED production and the first display application may be in a giant signboard using large pixels manufactured cheaply enough to create affordable large outdoor displays.

As the technology progresses, the conventional batch process, including the thermal evaporation method may go the way of Gutenberg’s moving type press. But then again, where would we be today without Gutenberg?

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