OLED illuminated surfaces

2006-05-30 13:21:58
Imagine a house without a single light fixture - but instead walls, ceilings, furnishings, and accessories all sources of light. Thanks to research at Princeton University and the University of Southern California (USC), almost any surface in a building can become a light source with OLEDs.

Researchers have made a critical advancement from what was once single-color displays to highly efficient and long-lasting natural light source called OLEDs (organic light-emitting diodes). The invention was the brain child of 13-years of research in the OLED program headed up by Mark Thompson at USC College of Letters, Arts and Sciences, and Stephan Forrest, vice president for research at the University of Michigan (formerly at Princeton).

Thompson states that the OLED process “enables us to get 100 percent efficiency out of single, broad spectrum light source.” Completely transparent when not in use, the devices can be used in windows and a skylight, mimicking the feel of natural light once the sun goes down. Imagine the energy saving possibilities! Or, for gadget geeks, OLEDs could make for the flattest flat-panel TV imaginable. Watch out when OLEDs hit the mass market, it could transform lighting as we know it.