Project number KC-PI-2018/1
Duration the project: 01.10.2018. - 30.09.2021.
Project Manager: Dr. Phys. Aivars Vembris
Description:
The project addresses the main challenge to bring OLED technology to the wider business applications, by creating new OLED device structure using unique lanthanide-based emitting materials developed and patented by Latvian high-tech start-up company EVOLED.
There are 3 main barriers restraining OLED from mass usage, which the new OLED technology is aiming to overcome:
- Need for the extremely rare and expensive noble metal – iridium. At the current state-of-the-art, iridium complexes are essential as OLED emitter materials. In our alternative approach based on lanthanide emitters, 100% internal quantum efficiency is possible based on the very different recombination mechanism in lanthanide complexes, and lanthanides are incomparably cheaper and affordable than iridium.
- Need for vacuum deposition technologies. At present, only vacuum deposition allows best efficacies. In our technology special emphasis is put on development of a solution-processable emitter system, which allows much cheaper and failure tolerant production by roll-to-roll coating or ink-jet printing.
- Extreme sensitivity of current state-of-the-art OLED against ambient water vapor, which requires expensive encapsulation techniques, not even available yet for flexible plastic substrates. In our case special nature of the lanthanide emission from chemically well screened inner electron shells leads to significantly reduced water sensitivity.