SBIR-STTR Award

The Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will demonstrate the feasibility of using white light-emitting polymers in a fully printable manufacturing process to dramatically improve the cost and efficiency performance of organic light-emitting diodes (OLED) flat lamps. Both the OLED display and Lighting industries are interested in p-i-n structured OLEDs because they can be fully printed in open air conditions on flexible barrier substrates through the use of air-stable printable electrodes; however, these displays suffer from higher operating voltages and shortened lifetimes. The project will develop high-efficiency, high-brightness, white light-emitting OLED devices using a p-i-n device architecture that is air stable and fully printable at low cost. It will focus on developing the materials and processes for depositing both the light-emitting and cathode layers that specifically overcome the weakness of traditional Metal-Insulator-Metal (MIM) OLED devices which inhibit the printing of OLED lamps onto flexible substrates at ultra low cost. Current know how in fully-printable OLED displays will be combined with advanced white light emitting materials and dopants to dramatically improve efficiency, lifetime, and printability of LEP devices onto flexible substrates. If success the outcome of this project will be a significant technology and print-based manufacturing platform for white light-emitting polymers that will accelerate the use of OLED technology in the high-efficiency, high-lifetime, lighting industry. Such technology is expected to provide low cost OLED lamps to society as a whole, as well as offer numerous benefits, including improved safety, better lighting quality, and lower dependence on fossil fuels. Aside from the obvious advantage of lowering energy consumption, OLED lamps are expected to offer a fuller spectrum-of-color for an improved lighting experience that lowers workplace fatigue, eye damage from glare, and negative affects on human health. Printable OLED lamps would be expected to find strong adoption by schools, offices, and those in industrial and residential environments. It is not inconceivable that the low cost printing of doped white-light emitting polymers could be disruptive enough to foster a revolution in ultra-low cost lighting solutions that can be used by developing nations to leap frog in development. Outside of the organic display industry, this research would enhance the scientific understanding for other printable electronics, including organic photovoltaics, transistors and memory, where low cost manufacturing of high-efficiency devices are paramount for commercial success

This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase-II project will analyze the limiting factors in performance and commercialization obtained through printed polymer organic light emitting diode (P-OLED) research and development as well as customer engagement. Utilizing this basis, a set of materials, device and process development tasks have been devised. These include continued lifetime improvements and development of an encapsulation process. During Phase-I, the impact of light-emitting layer morphology and cathode interactions on device performance was identified. This has allowed a prioritization of these issues for final development. Technical objectives include exceeding the commercialization threshold and achieving greater than 1000 hour product lifetimes with a flexible encapsulation process adaptable to small and large scale manufacture. This includes advanced light-emitting polymers (LEP) formulations, cathode development, and device structure optimization to meet performance milestones along with encapsulation adhesive, getter materials and lamination process trials and optimization. If successful the outcome of this project includes benefits for mobile electronic product designers and consumers using low cost and low energy manufacturing in the U.S. display and lighting industries. Furthermore, the science and engineering work compliments R&D efforts in related materials technologies. The proposed technology is uniquely attractive among OLED lighting technologies currently under development in that it allows for low manufacturing set-up and operating expenses, and therefore early commercial adoption. Because of this cost structure, which is radically different from conventional, high capital, glass-based OLED processing, there is a significant early commercialization opportunity in mobile backlighting products and other specialty lighting applications. In these product areas, the proposed technology''s voltage, brightness, DC drive, and form factor makes it preferable to existing inorganic approaches. The low capital cost structure and dependence on advanced materials technology also provides opportunities for distributed manufacture in the U.S. away from the centralized Far East display manufacturing base. Outside of the organic display and lighting industries, this research would enhance the scientific understanding for other emerging printable and organic electronics technologies including organic photovoltaics, thin film transistors and memory, where low cost manufacturing of high-efficiency devices are paramount for commercial success