The OLED display market is expected to grow rapidly to a $20Bn market by 2015 and by 2020 is predicted to dominate the $130Bn displays market.
Whilst commercialisation has begun, OLED technology is still considered expensive compared to it’s LCD counterparts due to the use of expensive LPTS silicon TFT backplane technology. Unfortunately α-silicon transistors (as used in LCD displays) do not have the necessary performance, material or process characteristics for OLED production or application.
It is generally recognised that for OLED display technology to dominate and eventually supersede LCD technology, a new type of printable (rather than lithographic) TFT backplane technology is needed to enable the mass print-based production of OLED displays. This would not only dramatically reduce the cost but also allow the natural evolution of OLED display production onto lightweight, ultra thin and flexible substrates.
There is a very strong demand therefore for printable TFT’s that have high mobility levels but can be processed at low temperature on to a range of thin and flexible substrates whilst also exhibiting high temperature stability (Smartkem OSC’s > 250˚C).
SmartKem OSC’s have been independently validated at a centre of excellence as suitable material for flexible high performance OLED TFT’s - exhibiting high charge carrier mobility and excellent bias stress stability. For many OLED displays a charge carrier mobility of ≥ 2.0cm2/V•s is desired, which is beyond the capability of most organic semiconductors today.
SmartKem’s first generation of OSC materials exhibit OTFT mobilities in excess of 4.0cm2/Vs,are bias stress stable and have the potential to become the preferred material system for TFT backplane systems for the next generation of OLED displays.