South Korean scientists have developed a new technology that improves the transparency and image quality of display panels by 40 to 60 percent, by integrating graphene into organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs).
The Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (ETRI) of Korea said on Dec. 16 that it has developed a fundamental technology that lets electrodes conduct electricity while being transparent by replacing the thin metal electrodes that are used as transparent electrodes on OLED boards with transparent graphene electrodes.
Until now, metal electrodes used in OLEDs have generally been made out of silver. However, OLEDs with silver electrodes have a limited viewing angle to internal light reflection. Also, external light reflection affects the image quality. In contrast, graphene electrodes improve transparency and reflectance by 40 percent and 60 percent, respectively, due to little internal and external reflections.
Lee Jeong-ik, head of the Soft I/O Interface Research Section at ETRI, said, “When using this technology in transparent OLED displays and white OLED-based large displays in the future, we will be able to greatly enhance the transparency and image quality. Also, the technology will widen the gap with late movers in the OLED industry, which is challenged by them.”