Ultrathin Displays Will Yield Novel Devices

OXFORD, England, May 30 -- Transparent display screens on shop windows, wristband displays, light-emitting panels (LEPs) in safety clothing and TVs that can be rolled up and carried around: Such applications for organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) are in the not-to-distant future, according to Opsys, an Oxford-based technology firm.

Opsys has sponsored research at the Universities of Oxford and St. Andrews on new chemical materials called dendrimers that are used in the production of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays. These dendrimer materials emit colored light when subjected to an electric current. Because the dendrimers are in a solution -- similar to an ink -- they can be printed directly onto most flat surfaces to make a display screen.

Oxsys says this process is cost-efficient and enables the development of low-cost, ultrathin displays that could be contoured, flexible and transparent and that have brighter colors than conventional displays. In addition, the displays are more power efficient, Opsys says -- a crucial feature for portable battery-powered products such as mobile phones and personal digital assistants.