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Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are optoelectronic devices based on small molecules or polymers that emit light when an electrical current flows through them. They are being developed for applications in flat panel displays. A simple OLED consists of a fluorescent organic layer sandwiched between two metal electrodes. Under application of an electric field, electrons and holes are injected from the two electrodes into the organic layer, where they meet and recombine to produce light.

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"ELECTRONIC PAPER": Organic Light Emitting Diodes

If ever a technology has begged to be disrupted, it is Liquid Crystal Displays. Invented in 1963 and envisioned as a slimmed-down replacement for bulky cathode ray tubes or as screens for wall mounted televisions (a use never realized due to problems scaling up to large surfaces), liquid crystal displays have instead become the standard for everything from watches to laptop computers. Despite this, however, remains high production and commercial expenses that have never come down enough to successfully mass market these displays, leaving the technology vulnerable to new innovations.

With the imaging appliance revolution underway, the need for more advanced hand-held devices that will combine the attributes of a computer, PDA, and cell phone is increasing and the flat-panel mobile display industry is searching for a display technology that will revolutionize the industry. The need for new lightweight, low-power, wide viewing angled, hand-held portable communication devices have pushed the display industry to revisit the current flat-panel digital display technology used for mobile applications. Struggling to meet the needs of demanding applications such as e-books, smart networked household appliances, identity management cards, and display-centric hand-held mobile imaging devices, the flat panel industry is now looking at new displays known as organic light emitting diodes (OLED).

This web page is a great way to learn about the basics of OLEDs—"ELECTRONIC PAPER": Organic Light Emitting Diodes.

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eMagin

Their technology licensing and development agreements with Eastman Kodak, coupled with their own intellectual property portfolio, give them a leadership position in OLED (organic light emitting diode) microdisplay technology. OLEDs will bring unsurpassed features and benefits to the miniature personal display market including: high resolution, high dynamic brightness, high energy efficiency, and low cost. OLED-on-silicon technology also permits many additional functions to be integrated into the silicon integrated circuit as part of the OLED display, making OLED an ideal choice for total miniature display system solutions.

eMagin is a industry leader in OLED displays. Their site contains information about OLED technology and were they think it is heading. To learn more, visit eMagin.

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KODAK

When people see OLED display technology from Kodak for the first time, their eyes go wide. Then come the praises. And it doesn't take a technical explanation to dazzle them (though they're pretty impressed with that, too). One look, and they know that this is something special. Bright, sharp, full-color images packed into a thin, lightweight display that almost defies reality. That's why companies like Sanyo, Pioneer, and Motorola are already putting it into their state-of-the-art products. We're talking maximum impact. And it's available today.

Kodak has put together an easy-to-navigate and informative page about OLEDs. It covers the basics about how the technology works as well as what Kodak plans to do with it. This is a geat page to visit and learn more about OLEDs.Visit KODAK's OLED page.