The rise and future of OLED displays
In this information age, the development of display technology can be described as changing with each passing day. Once upon a time, we were still using bulky cathode ray tube displays, but today, organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display technology has quietly entered our lives, bringing us a new visual experience.
The advantages of OLED displays are self-evident. Compared to traditional liquid crystal displays, it has the characteristics of self-illumination, and each pixel can emit light independently, so it can present pure black, higher contrast, and more vivid and realistic colors. Since there is no need for a backlight, OLED displays can achieve an ultra-thin body design, giving designers more room for creativity.
Not only that, but the OLED display is also very responsive, with a grayscale response time of 0.1 milliseconds, which makes it display fast-moving images without smearing or afterimages, giving users an unparalleled smooth experience. This is undoubtedly a great boon for gamers and movie lovers.
Just like any emerging technology, OLED displays come with some challenges. One of them is the longevity of organic materials. Since OLED displays use organic light-emitting materials, these materials will gradually age after long-term use, resulting in problems such as brightness loss and color distortion. Some new technologies have been developed in the industry to extend the lifespan of OLED displays, such as Samsung's QD-OLED technology.
QD-OLED technology combines quantum dots with OLED panels, and uses the high purity and wide color gamut characteristics of quantum dots to further improve the color expression of OLED displays. Quantum dots themselves are inorganic materials with a longer lifespan, which can effectively solve the problem of OLED panel aging. Samsung has already adopted this technology in its latest OLED TVs, and the picture quality is breathtaking.
In addition to picture quality, OLED displays also have unparalleled advantages in terms of design. Since there is no need for a backlight, OLED panels can be extremely slim, which allows manufacturers to create innovative forms such as curved and foldable displays that bring a new experience to users.
Take LG Display's latest 17-inch foldable notebook OLED panel as an example, when it is fully unfolded, it can present a traditional laptop screen ratio of 4:3; And when it folds inward, it can be turned into a portable tablet. This "multi-purpose" design will undoubtedly bring great convenience to mobile office.
LG also uses Tandem OLED technology in this foldable OLED panel, which greatly improves the brightness and longevity of the product by stacking organic light-emitting layers into a double-layer structure. This will undoubtedly further enhance the competitiveness of OLED displays in the field of IT equipment such as laptops and tablets.
In the field of mobile phones, OLED displays have long become mainstream. Qualcomm's latest 3D sonic human sensing technology can directly integrate fingerprint recognition, heart rate detection and other functions into the OLED display, bringing users a seamless interactive experience.
OLED display technology is changing the way we think about displays like never before. Not only will we be able to enjoy better picture quality, but we will also be able to experience more flexible and intelligent display products. And all this is thanks to the continuous innovation and progress of OLED display technology.
Advantages of OLED displays:
When it comes to OLED displays, we have to talk about their differences from liquid crystal displays (LCDs). As a new generation of display technology, OLED displays have shown different advantages from LCD in many aspects.
The most obvious advantage is that OLED displays can present true "pure black". This is because each pixel of an OLED display is self-illuminating, and when a certain pixel is turned off, it doesn't emit any light, revealing pure black. LCD displays, on the other hand, need to adjust the backlight through liquid crystal layers and color filters, and it is difficult to achieve a completely black effect.
It is because of this characteristic that the contrast ratio of OLED displays is also much higher than that of LCDs. Contrast refers to the difference between the brightest and darkest brightness in an image, the higher the contrast, the richer the layers of the picture, and the clearer the details. Theoretically, the contrast ratio of an OLED display is limitless, as it can completely turn off certain pixels, making the brightness of blacks zero.
OLED displays also have a wider viewing angle. Since it is self-illuminating, there is no viewing angle problem in LCDs. No matter what angle you look at, the picture of an OLED display remains clear and color saturated. This is a big advantage for some occasions that require multiple people to watch at the same time, such as conference rooms, home theaters, etc.
OLED displays have a faster response time, which can reach a grayscale response speed of 0.1 milliseconds. This means that it doesn't produce smearing or ghosting when displaying fast-moving images, giving it a very smooth look. This is undoubtedly a great boon for gamers and movie lovers.
In addition to the display effect, OLED displays also have unique advantages in terms of design. Since it doesn't require a backlight, it can be extremely slim and can even create foldable, rollable displays, opening up completely new possibilities for product design.
Take Samsung's latest "Rollable Flex" concept display, for example, which has a screen that can be curled or unfolded like a scroll, and its vertical length can be extended from 49mm to 254.4mm, improving portability. It can also rotate 360 degrees and supports both inward and outward folding, providing a new idea for the design of future foldable devices.
OLED displays are also more energy-efficient and environmentally friendly in terms of energy consumption. Since it is self-illuminating, it does not need to consume a lot of energy to drive the backlight like LCDs. According to Samsung, OLED displays with ECO²OLED technology can reduce power consumption by 37% and increase light transmittance by 1.6 times.
OLED displays aren't flawless, either. Its short service life and high cost have always been the main obstacles restricting its development. With the continuous advancement of technology, these problems are gradually being solved.
For example, manufacturers such as Samsung and LG have developed new technologies such as QD-OLED and Tandem OLED, which can significantly improve the brightness, lifespan, and production yield of OLED displays, thereby reducing costs.
The advantages of OLED display technology are obvious. It will bring us a better visual experience and will also drive innovation in display product design. I believe that in the near future, OLED displays will definitely become the mainstream.
The development history of OLED displays
The birth of every emerging technology is inseparable from the unremitting efforts and innovative exploration of scientists. OLED display technology is no exception, and its development history can be traced back to the 80s of the last century.
In 1987, two scientists from Kodak, Ching W. Tang and Steven Van Slyke, discovered the principle of organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) by accident. They found that when organic molecules are stimulated by an electric current, they emit light. This discovery laid the foundation for the birth of OLED display technology.
In 1990, Richard Flion and Jeremy Blaise of Cambridge University invented the polymer OLED, another major breakthrough in OLED technology. Compared to small molecule OLEDs, polymer OLEDs are simpler to manufacture and less costly, making them easier to achieve large-scale commercial production.
After entering the 21st century, the development of OLED display technology has entered the fast lane. In 2003, Sony launched the world's first OLED TV with an 11-inch screen size. In 2007, Samsung showcased the world's first OLED phone at the International Consumer Electronics Show in Berlin.
In 2012, LG Display became the first company to achieve mass production of OLED TVs, launching 55-inch OLED TVs. Since then, the screen size of OLED TVs has continued to expand, and the picture quality has also been improving.
In 2017, Samsung launched its first TV with QD-OLED technology, which combines quantum dots with OLED panels to further improve color expression and longevity.
In 2019, LG Display launched the world's first rollable OLED TV with a screen size of up to 65 inches, marking a major breakthrough in design innovation for OLED display technology.
In 2023, Samsung and LG will launch innovative products such as "Rollable Flex" and 17-inch foldable notebook OLED panels, respectively, applying OLED technology to IT equipment such as laptops and tablets, opening up new development space.
The development process of OLED display technology is a history of continuous self-breakthrough and innovation. From the initial theoretical discovery, to small-scale laboratory research, to mass production and commercialization, OLED display technology has overcome many technical difficulties along the way, and has also attracted more and more technology giants to join the competition.
The development of OLED display technology has not been easy. It has also encountered challenges such as short service life, low production yields, and high costs. It is thanks to the persistent pursuit and unremitting efforts of scientists that these challenges have been overcome one by one.
We have reason to believe that there will be more eye-catching performance in OLED display technology. It will bring us a better visual experience, and will also promote innovation in display product design, making our lives smarter, more convenient and more efficient.