All about OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode)

Technology always getting better and better, a great turn from LCDs

Follow @jtechpreneur

Hi fellow tech fans and JTechpreneur fans, sorry I have been away for some time, been busy taking care of a new baby called Narcet Hub. Check out the link and contact us for more information. Now back to our discussion of the day... OLED, what is OLED? Why choose OLED and not LCD, It's advantages and drawbacks and how OLEDs work.

OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) is a new display technology that is brighter, more efficient, thinner and feature better refresh rates and contrast than an LCD display. Technology always getting better and better, the OLEDs tech which started in 2016 is delivering the best picture quality ever and most laptop makers have started to adopt OLEDs in their newest devices. We will talk of the various top OLED laptops,TVs and devices in the next articles.

Why are OLEDs better than LCD?

Good question! Everyone has is own opinion about this but one fact remains, OLED is the way to go. The main differences of OLED to it's predecessor the LCD are:

• The plastic, organic layers of an OLED are thinner, lighter and more flexible than the crystalline layers in an LCD making the machine much thinner and lighter.
• OLEDs consume less power - as only lit pixels draw energy - so an almost black screen will require very little power until you might think the machine is off. Applications can take advantage of this (for example a white font on black background).
• OLEDs offer better picture quality with much faster refresh rates, infinite contrast and better viewing angles - especially useful for gamers.
• OLEDs can be made flexible or even transparent - so we might soon be seeing flexible screens.

The OLED's structure and how it works

OLEDs work in a similar way to conventional diodes and LEDs, but instead of using layers of n-type

and p-type semiconductors, they use organic molecules to produce their electrons and holes. A simple OLED is made up of six different layers. On the top and bottom there are layers of protective glass or plastic. The top layer is called the seal and the bottom layer the substrate. In between those layers, there's a negative terminal (sometimes called the cathode) and a positive terminal (called the anode). Finally, in between the anode and cathode are two layers made from organic molecules called the emissive layer (where the light is produced, which is next to the cathode) and the conductive layer (next to the anode). Check this out...

Because positive holes are more more mobile than the negative electron, they jump across to the emissive layer. When a hole (a lack of electron from the anode) meets an electron from the cathode in the emissive layer, the two things cancel out and release a brief burst of energy in the form of a particle of light—a photon, in other words. This process is called recombination, and because it's happening many times a second the OLED produces continuous light for as long as the current keeps flowing.

Disadvantages/drawbacks of OLED

OLED seems to be the perfect technology for all types of displays, but it also has some problems:
One widely cited problem is that OLED displays don't last as long: degradation of the organic molecules meant that early versions of OLEDs tended to wear out around four times faster than conventional LCDs or LED displays.
Another difficulty is that organic molecules in OLEDs are very sensitive to water. Water can easily damage OLEDs.
Lastly, manufacturing of OLED is more expensive at the moment but the good thing is that LED screen prices are going down as OLED is now filling the market.