OLEDs for display and lighting
Organic light-emitting diodes (OLED), first demonstrated using small molecules by C. Tang (Kodak) have attracted a great amount of interest as a building block for next-generation flat panel displays. IOEL puts its research thrust on advancing OLED technology from device-level improvement for active-matrix OLED (AMOLED) display and solid-state lighting. IOEL's major efforts in this area includes flexible and/or transparent displays, outcoupling enhancing structures for efficient display and lighting devices, polarizer-free high-contrast OLEDs. Not only experimental approaches but also optical simulation and analysis are being carried out for rational design of efficient OLEDs that can fulfill various needs of emerging applications.
OPVs for energy havesting
Today's growing needs for energy resource demand sustainable and renewable energy source such as photovoltaic (PV) technology. Organic solar cells, based on heterostructures that are similar to OLEDs, are rapidly gaining perception as potential low-cost alternatives to conventional PV technologies. For this technology to demonstrate its full potential, however, many hurdles need to be overcome. IOEL's mission is to contribute to communities by finding innovative ways to realize scalable and practical organic PV (OPV) technologies
OTFTs for integrated printed electronics
"Beyond Moore's law - The goal is not to replace single-crystal silicon technology, but rather to address applications and opportunities not solvable by silicon and a Moore's Lawapproach." [ T. N. Jackson, Nature Mater. 4 (8) (2005)
Organic or some oxide field-effect transistors (FET) that are prepared by low-cost processes such as printing are expected to play an important role in advance of electronic devices that can benefit from thin, flexible form factors and are akin to ultralow fabrication cost. Such example can be found in RFID tags and smart labels. IOEL will work on development of printable low-cost FET technology and will work also on its implementation into integrated devices of higher complexity and functionality.
Vapor jet printing for low-cost printed electronics
Organic vapor jet printing (OVJP) is a solvent-free printing method in which thermally generated organic vapor is carried by inert gas through a small nozzle to deposit organic thin films according to a desired pattern.