Flexible Low Power Consumption Active-Matrix OLED Displays

Advanced mobile communication devices require a bright, high information content display in a small, light-weight, low power consumption package. In this paper we will outline our progress towards developing such a low power consumption active-matrix flexible OLED ($FOLED^{TM}$) display. Our work in this area is focused on three critical enabling technologies. The first is the development of a high efficiency long-lived phosphorescent OLED ($PHOLED{TM}$) device technology, which has now proven itself to be capable of meeting the low power consumption performance requirements for mobile display applications. Secondly, is the development of flexible active matrix backplanes, and for this our team are employing poly-Si TFTs formed on metal foil substrates as this approach represents an attractive alternative to fabricating poly-Si TFTs on plastic for the realization of first generation flexible active matrix OLED displays. Unlike most plastics, metal foil substrates can withstand a large thermal load and do not require a moisture and oxygen permeation barrier. Thirdly, the key to reliable operation is to ensure that the organic materials are fully encapsulated in a package designed for repetitive flexing. We also present progress in operational lifetime of encapsulated T-PHOLED pixels on planarized metal foil and discuss PHOLED encapsulation strategy.