01.25.17
Developing a low-cost, efficient method of increasing the attractiveness of OLEDs for lighting poses a challenge. As a result of a CTI project, CSEM and Sefar AG have designed a promising state-of-the-art way of achieving this aim. This technology opens up new opportunities for applications in residential, architectural, professional lighting segments, as well as consumer electronics.
OLEDs have long been deemed to be the lighting technology of the future. However, their market penetration remains minute due to their high production costs and moderate light output compared to, for example, inorganic LEDs.
Considerable resources have been applied, unsuccessfully, to overcoming these barriers. Due to a project supported by the Swiss Confederation (CTI project), CSEM and Sefar are now able to propose a promising solution featuring interesting production costs, high efficiency, and compatibility with the fabrication of large-area OLEDS.
The partners have developed low-cost, flexible, transparent, highly conductive electrodes made of fabric substrates comprising flexible metallic wires and polymeric fibers woven together in a highly transparent and flexible polymer. These fabric substrates (SEFAR TCS Planar) are manufactured using low-cost, high-throughput processes under standard ambient clean room conditions.
The high electrical conductivity of the metal wires in the fabric substrate ensures that the electrode displays high conductivity over large distances, even with an ultra-thin, highly transparent, layer of the conductive polymer.
“The use of Sefar fabric-based electrodes significantly simplifies the production of large-area OLEDs by eliminating the evaporation, photolithography, and electrical insulation of the supporting metal tracks,” said Peter Chabrecek, R&D manager at Sefar.
This solution can be applied for OLEDs, as well as for many other products, including solar cells, EL devices, touch screens, electrochromic glasses, transparent heating elements, sensors, photodetectors and transparent shielding elements.
OLEDs have long been deemed to be the lighting technology of the future. However, their market penetration remains minute due to their high production costs and moderate light output compared to, for example, inorganic LEDs.
Considerable resources have been applied, unsuccessfully, to overcoming these barriers. Due to a project supported by the Swiss Confederation (CTI project), CSEM and Sefar are now able to propose a promising solution featuring interesting production costs, high efficiency, and compatibility with the fabrication of large-area OLEDS.
The partners have developed low-cost, flexible, transparent, highly conductive electrodes made of fabric substrates comprising flexible metallic wires and polymeric fibers woven together in a highly transparent and flexible polymer. These fabric substrates (SEFAR TCS Planar) are manufactured using low-cost, high-throughput processes under standard ambient clean room conditions.
The high electrical conductivity of the metal wires in the fabric substrate ensures that the electrode displays high conductivity over large distances, even with an ultra-thin, highly transparent, layer of the conductive polymer.
“The use of Sefar fabric-based electrodes significantly simplifies the production of large-area OLEDs by eliminating the evaporation, photolithography, and electrical insulation of the supporting metal tracks,” said Peter Chabrecek, R&D manager at Sefar.
This solution can be applied for OLEDs, as well as for many other products, including solar cells, EL devices, touch screens, electrochromic glasses, transparent heating elements, sensors, photodetectors and transparent shielding elements.