In its research process Osram has taken a major step closer to its goal of developing mass-market OLEDs. The current laboratory sample achieves 87 lm/W – exceeding the previously-achieved peak value by 40 percent. This means that OLEDs are almost achieving the efficiency of fluorescent lamps in the laboratory. Important: measurement is performed under application-oriented conditions in an integrating sphere – that is, without macro extractors, i.e. lenses to optimize the measurement results. Measurements were taken at a brightness of 1,000 cd/m2 and a color temperature of approximately 4,000 K. A further success for the OSRAM research team: the laboratory sample also achieved almost 75 Im/W at a brightness of 5,000 cd/m2. The organic functional material employed was already tested in pilot manufacturing and enables product-relevant lifetimes.
The OLED laboratory sample was prepared using a pure thin-film approach. The current was distributed evenly over the active surface using a special injection electrode on the light-generating surface and offers homogenous light density from every angle. The aesthetic impression is not disrupted by visible electrode structures. The manufacture of the sample is highly product-proximate – plans for industrialization are already being evaluated.