Organic light-emitting diode displays (OLED) Audited

In October 2012, Merck and Seiko Epson Corporation announced a cooperation and licensing agreement for inkjet inks used in the manufacture of OLED (organic light-emitting diode) displays. OLED is an alternative technology to LCD used to create flat-panel displays. Today, OLED is only used in small displays such as smart phones. According to the agreement, Epson will supply Merck with ink technology able to dissolve Merck’s OLED materials, providing the possibility to apply soluble OLED materials on display substrates using specifically designed printing heads. Today, mass production of OLED displays is based on insoluble OLED materials that are applied using complex chemical vapor deposition (CVD) and masking technologies, resulting in highly limited efficiencies of those production processes. Successful development of a printable OLED technology could pave the way for the cost-efficient production of large OLED displays, particularly for televisions.