What is OLED?

Organic light emitting diode (OLED) technology uses substances that emit red, green, blue or white light. Without any other source of illumination, OLED materials present bright, clear video and images that are easy to see at almost any angle.

OLED displays stack up several thin layers of materials. They operate on the attraction between positively and negatively charged particles. When voltage is applied, one layer becomes negatively charged relative to another transparent layer. As energy passes from the negatively charged (cathode) layer to the other (anode) layer, it stimulates organic material between the two, which emits light visible through an outermost layer of glass.

Doping or enhancing organic material helps control the brightness and color of light. And manufacturers can choose organic materials’ structure – “small” (single) molecules or complex chains of molecules (polymers) – to best suit production facilities.

Active matrix and passive matrix screens are two fundamental types of OLED display assembly. Each type lends itself to different applications.