OSRAM Announces Delivery of First Milestone in Department of Energy Lighting Program; Company Again Demonstrates Global Commitment to OLED Research and Development

Business Wire, April 12, 2005

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- OSRAM Opto Semiconductors Inc. today announced it has reached the first milestone in its three-year, white organic light-emitting diode (OLED) project, funded by a $4.65 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE). The 2004 DOE grant was issued to research the potential of white OLEDs to save energy in commercial and residential lighting applications. OSRAM's first-year deliverable is an advanced prototype light source based on two 2-inch x 3-inch white emitting tiles. This project supports the U.S. Government's National Energy Plan to introduce new technologies that will reduce costs, lower emissions and save energy. The DOE grant funds the development, fabrication and characterization of a 12-inch by 20-inch OLED white light prototype. OSRAM is matching the DOE's $4.65 million for a project total of $9.3 million dollars.

This latest OLED research announcement further underscores OSRAM's global commitment to OLED technology and development. In 2004 OSRAM became a member of the Organic LEDs for Lighting Applications (OLLA) consortium, a 24-member organization comprising European companies and research establishments. This consortium will receive more than $15 million dollars from a special European government commission to research high-brightness, high-efficiency, white OLEDs and demonstrate their use in general lighting applications. OSRAM is also a member of the Next Generation Lighting Industry (NGLI) Alliance, a U.S. organization, sponsored by the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA), to foster a government/industry partnership that accelerates the technical foundation and commercialization of solid-state lighting systems.

"The DOE announcement is significant, not only because it represents the DOE's enormous commitment to the future of white OLEDs, but also because the project will result in a technological breakthrough: the development of the first energy-efficient, polymer OLED, solid-state lighting source based on white-emitting polymer materials," said Homer Antoniadis, DOE program director and head of OLED product development for OSRAM Opto Semiconductors Inc. "As we explore the potential of polymers for solid-state lighting applications, we also look at their compatibility and scalability over large areas. This research offers manufacturers a significant opportunity to reduce production costs, a benefit to all in the lighting industry."

The advanced white-light prototype is based on multiple, discrete 2-inch x 3-inch white-light devices fabricated on glass substrates. OSRAM's first-year deliverable is an advanced prototype light source where each tile in the module has a luminous efficacy of 7 lumens-per-watt (lm/W) and a color-rendering index (CRI) of about 80. The prototype operates at an average luminance of 250 nits. At program end, OSRAM will produce a color-balanced OLED white-light source with a luminous efficacy of 40 lumens per watt at 800 nits and an operating half-life of 3,000 hours.

OSRAM's materials and device organization, in concert with the company's processing group, is working closely with major polymer materials suppliers and various academic institutions to develop the polymer emissive technology needed to meet the DOE project's performance milestones. The company's product development team is additionally creating the white lighting module, including the electronic control, for powering the lighting source. The lighting module will be field-tested by commercial lighting groups within OSRAM.

The second milestone, scheduled for February 2006, is an advanced white-light prototype based on eight discrete 2-inch x 3-inch white-light devices fabricated on glass substrates. The OLED white-light source will have a luminous efficacy of 20 lumens per watt at 400 nits and an operating half-life of 3,000 hours. The program will conclude in February 2007 with the delivery of a white light prototype based on 32 tiles with the specifications mentioned above.

About OSRAM's OLED Technology

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors has focused its efforts on passive-matrix OLED displays for commercial, high-volume markets. Solution-based materials processing offers the long-term potential for lower-cost manufacturing and OSRAM Opto Semiconductors believes that there are substantial markets to be served with these product types. Polymer OLED technology is a very efficient approach for scaling displays to large area requirements. The combination of a simpler device structure and a process operating at atmospheric pressure enables a host of benefits, including a highly competitive costing structure.

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors operates a manufacturing facility for polymer OLED flat panel displays. The manufacturing line is tooled for 400 mm square (16-inch square) glass plates and was the first manufacturing facility of its kind. It is one of the largest polymer OLED flat panel display manufacturing plants in the world, featuring highly automated, in-line processing for the majority of manufacturing steps.