So-Light Project for OLED Displays and Special Lighting Released

In the recently started ‘So-Light’ project, 11 German companies and research institutes work closely together on organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs). The goal is to secure a leading position in the fast growing worldwide OLED market. The €14.7 million project is financially supported by the BMBF (Federal Ministry of Education and Research).

For the coming three years, So-Light will accelerate the development of signage and special lighting applications based on OLED technology. Until June 2012, project partners will work on new materials (transport materials, redox dopants, triplet-emitters, matrix materials), new optical technologies for light guiding, and continue to develop process technologies for small molecule OLEDs.

An important part of the project work is to perform application studies using demonstrators in the field and the work on integrating technologies for special application areas (automotive, architecture and backlighting for large displays).

Organic Light Emitting Diodes are seen as the first self-emitting area light source in history. OLED belongs to the family of solid state lighting (SSL) technologies, a hyponym for light sources based on semiconductors which emit light due to electroluminescence.

As OLEDs are highly energy efficient (nearly no heat generation), consume very little raw material and are mercury free, they are considered as a promising clean and sustainable technology and as a capable alternative for present lighting solutions.

Thanks to characteristics such as being ultra flat, transparent, flexible and colour tunable, OLEDs offer completely new opportunities in the field of signage, special luminaires and general lighting.

“Europe is not only a pioneer when it comes to energy efficiency and in preserving the environment, but also in product design. The ban on incandescent light bulbs and the need for energy efficient and innovative light sources puts new technologies in the spotlight. Therefore OLEDs and their near term introduction to the lighting market will be of major importance,” said Dr. Blochwitz-Nimoth, project lLeader of So-Light and CSO of Novaled AG. “The participation of leading German companies in So-light will ensure a fast transition to new OLED lighting products.”

So-Light project partners are: Novaled AG, Sensient Imaging Technologies GmbH, Fraunhofer IPMS, LEDON OLED Lighting GmbH & Co. KG, Aixtron AG, Fresnel Optics GmbH, Hella KGaA Hueck & Co, Siteco Beleuchtungstechnik GmbH, AEG-MIS mbH, Universität Paderborn/L-LAB, Westfälische Wilhelms Universität Münster.