EWING, N.J., 24 April 2008.Universal Display Corp., a maker of displays and lighting products through itsPHOLED phosphorescent OLED technology, has developed and delivered a novel OLED display prototype to the U.S. Army. The prototype demonstrates the world's first flexible OLED display that incorporates both visible green emission for daytime operation and infrared (IR) emission for use in dark environments.
Developed through a two-phase Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program with the U.S. Army, this initial prototype was designed to demonstrate capabilities that would enable soldiers in the field to view one display in two modes. Using Universal Display's high-efficiency PHOLED technology, the OLED display prototype provides green-color emission for daytime operation, and can be switched to operate in an IR-emission mode, that can only be detected through specialized night-vision goggles, for covert operations. By integrating this onto a flexible substrate, the company has achieved a design suitable for portable, rugged and conformable use both day and night in the field.
As part of an ongoing effort by the U.S. Army to develop next-generation applications that will enhance field operations for U.S. soldiers, the prototype was delivered to Mr. Raymond Schulze, Chief, Battle Command Interface Branch of the U.S. Army Communication Electronics Research and Development Engineering Center (CERDEC).
This project complements flexible display development ongoing at the U.S. Army's Flexible Display Center at Arizona State University, of which Universal Display is a founding member. With further technology development, this display concept may lead to the realization of important, new display functionality that can enhance the communications capabilities of the soldier.
The active-matrix OLED prototype display, based on Universal Display's proprietary PHOLED technology, employs proprietary visible-emission PHOLED materials as well as new IR-emitting PHOLED materials and device structures from the Universal Display team in conjunction with its partners at the University of Southern California and the University of Michigan.
The 100 dpi prototype was built on flexible metal foil using low-temperature, poly-silicon backplane technology from Palo Alto Research Center (PARC), and was integrated into a system for the Army by L-3 Communications Display Systems, a division of L-3 Communications Corporation.
