Woven substrates for organic light emitting diodes (WowLED)

• Research unit: INNOSUISSE
• Project number: 13466.1;6 PFFLE-NM

Short description (German)

Woven substrates for organic light emitting diodes (WowLED)

Short description (English)

Woven substrates for organic light emitting diodes (WowLED)

Abstract (German)

The project aims to develop large area flexible organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) on SEFAR fabric based substrates. This will open up the opportunity to address two high-potential domains such as large-area conformable OLEDs for signage and large-area OLEDs for special lighting. Revenues from the OLED lighting sales are expected to grow over US$ 600 million by 2018, as predicted by the JRC-IPTS1. The fabrication of these devices requires: o Flexible conducting and transparent substrates o OLED coating deposition o Encapsulation concepts compatible with the substrate and the lifetime expectations for the end users SEFAR has developed unique woven based substrates, which, in a preliminary feasibility project (WOCOLED), have been shown to be compatible with the OLED device fabrication. However, in order to introduce this breakthrough technology in real production environments (e.g. a roll-to-roll (R2R) fabrication line) further developments are still required, namely: o To optimize the cost effective SEFAR substrates with improved conductive, surface and optical (out-coupling) properties o To define OLED coating deposition processes in view of a R2R fabrication o To define suitable encapsulation concepts and methods compatible with the substrate and the OLED process as well as capable to meet the lifetime requirements for conformable OLEDs. These are the goals of the WOWLED project, where, on the one hand, CSEM will deploy its OLED and solution processing capabilities and will exploit the know-how in flexible OLED deposition and encapsulation already developed in previous CTI projects (e.g. CAPSYS, WOCOLED). On the other hand, SEFAR, based on the results and the experience of the WOCOLED project, will develop industrially competitive substrates for the OLED market.

Abstract (English)

The project aims to develop large area flexible organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) on SEFAR fabric based substrates. This will open up the opportunity to address two high-potential domains such as large-area conformable OLEDs for signage and large-area OLEDs for special lighting. Revenues from the OLED lighting sales are expected to grow over US$ 600 million by 2018, as predicted by the JRC-IPTS1. The fabrication of these devices requires: o Flexible conducting and transparent substrates o OLED coating deposition o Encapsulation concepts compatible with the substrate and the lifetime expectations for the end users SEFAR has developed unique woven based substrates, which, in a preliminary feasibility project (WOCOLED), have been shown to be compatible with the OLED device fabrication. However, in order to introduce this breakthrough technology in real production environments (e.g. a roll-to-roll (R2R) fabrication line) further developments are still required, namely: o To optimize the cost effective SEFAR substrates with improved conductive, surface and optical (out-coupling) properties o To define OLED coating deposition processes in view of a R2R fabrication o To define suitable encapsulation concepts and methods compatible with the substrate and the OLED process as well as capable to meet the lifetime requirements for conformable OLEDs. These are the goals of the WOWLED project, where, on the one hand, CSEM will deploy its OLED and solution processing capabilities and will exploit the know-how in flexible OLED deposition and encapsulation already developed in previous CTI projects (e.g. CAPSYS, WOCOLED). On the other hand, SEFAR, based on the results and the experience of the WOCOLED project, will develop industrially competitive substrates for the OLED market.