March 19, 2004—GE Global Research, announced a major breakthrough in Organic Light-Emitting Diodes (OLEDs)—the thin sheets of plastic-like material that emit light when powered by electricity.
Breaking two world records, the demonstration OLED device is now fully functional as a 24-inch x 24-inch panel, which produces 1,200 lumens of light with an efficacy of 15 lumens per watt (on par with today’s incandescent bulb technology). This latest breakthrough demonstrates that the light quality, output and efficiency of OLED technology can meet the needs of general illumination. Based on the dimensions of a room, the desired level of brightness can be increased or decreased depending on the number of 24 in. x 24 in. panels installed.
The ultimate goal is to create sheets of paper-thin lighting devices that can be applied to surfaces in a similar way to wallpapering. Moving forward, in order to accomplish this and bring the product to market, GE needs to make the device even more efficient—eventually reach 100 lumens per watt—as well as develop a low-cost production system.
During the three-year project, which was cosponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy’s Building Technologies Program (DOE/BT) and the National Energy Technology Laboratory, GE’s scientists have been able to increase the efficiency of illumination-quality OLEDs by a factor of 4, as well as increase the light output by a factor of 600.
The new level of efficiency and increased size were based on earlier research and results. When the program began three years ago, the team created a 1 in. x 1 in. prototype, which emitted 3.8 lumens per watt—proving that it was possible to create illumination-quality white light using OLEDs. The following year they developed a 6 in. x 6 in. prototype, which emitted 7 lumens per watt—that demonstrated they could create a device with a more practical surface area. The current version consists of 16, 6 in. x 6 in. tiles linked together.
For more information, contact the Department of Energy Web site for Solid State Lighting.
