Novaled, an OLED technology and material provider based in Dresden, Germany, has joined forces with ArcelorMittal, a leading steel maker, on a new OLED project. The partners are developing top-emitting OLEDs on flexible substrates for signage and lighting purposes.
"We are always looking for ways to innovate and develop new application fields that add value to our steel products. We consider OLEDs to be very promising" says Michel Beguin, General Manager of ArcelorMittal's Industry Research Centre in Liège, Belgium.
According to Beguin, the Novaled technology gives the advantage of an efficient top-inverted structure that is well adapted to metal substrates.
Using steel plates as substrates, remarkable properties can be achieved for bendable OLED applications. Compared with standard glass-sheets, metallic substrates offer several advantages; they are more robust and durable, and are commonly produced by roll-to-roll process. This production method can be adapted to a subsequent in-line process for OLED deposition enabling high throughput manufacturing with low tact time.
Novaled expects to contribute to the project its broad technical experience with respect to highly efficient and stable OLED device architectures, as well as its material know-how for doped transport layers.
"RGB OLEDs have been processed directly on classical steel plates. The striking results showed that the Novaled technology enables standard steel foil acting as reflective bottom electrode" says Jan Blochwitz-Nimoth, CTO of Novaled. "We are very pleased to support ArcelorMittal in its OLED developments on metal plates".
