OSRAM Announces Latest Achievements in Department of Energy Lighting Program; Company Attains Record-Breaking, Polymer-OLED Efficiency and Develops First Printed, Color-Tunable Light Source

Business Wire, Nov 22, 2005

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- OSRAM Opto Semiconductors Inc. today announced the latest achievements in its 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 most recent milestone provides a breakthrough in polymer-OLED technology by achieving a record 25 lumens-per-watt (lm/W) of device efficiency. The company also announced it has developed the first polymer-OLED, "tunable" light source, enabling color tuning and true illumination-design freedom.

"We are very excited to announce our latest DOE achievements. These milestones directly support the DOE's objectives by demonstrating polymer-OLED potential in lighting applications," said Dr. Alfred Felder, OLED Business Unit Head, OSRAM Opto Semiconductors. "By exploring polymer-OLED technology for solid-state lighting applications, we have created a powerful, innovative and desirable solution with confirmed compatibility and scalability over large areas."

The 25 lm/W cool-white-emitting device utilizes a solution-processable, phosphorescent, blue-emitting device in conjunction with an external inorganic phosphor layer. This high 14 lm/W blue color efficiency was achieved by embedding an efficient phosphorescent blue emitter in a polymer host. The OSRAM team has also achieved and demonstrated a 20 lm/W efficient phosphorescent device based on a white-emitting polymer blend. This device employs no external phosphors, and the white emission comes directly from the phosphorescent polymer.

This high-performance, organic light source provides the basis for OSRAM's further OLED lighting-application development. Next steps include the company's efforts to transfer this technology into large-area light tiles. This task has inherent challenges, which include developing robust materials to increase product lifetime and developing lighting-panel uniformity. To overcome these hurdles, continuous work is required to integrate a phosphorescent-emitting blend material into a single polymer, thus endeavoring to reduce the operating voltage through cathode engineering.

The tunable light source is the industry's first OLED demonstration based on three separate, printable polymer inks emitting in the red, green and blue portion of the spectrum. Ink-jet printing was utilized to pattern the small three-color segments. The product's unique driver circuitry enables users to regulate color from dark blue to white, or any color combination the user prefers, offering freedom of design and innovative illumination solutions. Such printable OLED technology offers the advantage of large-size scalability without losses in key optical and electrical properties.

Earlier this year, OSRAM achieved its first DOE milestone by delivering an advanced prototype light source based on two discrete, two-inch x three-inch, white-emitting devices fabricated on glass substrates. Each tile in the module had a luminous efficacy of 8 lm/W and a color-rendering index (CRI) of about 80. This year the same technology was used to demonstrate scalability to larger substrates, and a 6-inch x 10-inch, white-emitting device was delivered.

OSRAM continues to maintain its commitment to OLED technology and development. OSRAM is 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.

More on the Department of Energy Research Program

The U.S. DOE's Building Technologies (BT) Program and the National Energy Technology Laboratory sponsored OSRAM's OLED project through its competitive research and development program. By 2025, the DOE/BT's solid-state lighting (SSL) R&D program seeks to develop advanced SSL technologies that are much more energy efficient, longer lasting and more cost-competitive than conventional lighting. To achieve this goal, the research program targets a product-system efficiency of 50 percent with lighting that accurately reproduces the sunlight spectrum.

About OSRAM Opto Semiconductors

OSRAM Opto Semiconductors is a wholly owned subsidiary of OSRAM, one of the world's two leading lighting manufacturers. It offers its customers solutions based on semiconductor technology for lighting, sensor and visualization applications. The company employs more than 3,400 people worldwide and operates sites in Regensburg (Germany), San Jose (USA) and Penang (Malaysia). Sales for the year ending September 2004 totaled EUR 459 million, 11% of the total sales of OSRAM of EUR 4.2 billion. For more information, visit www.osram-os.com.