Siemens AG has signed a research agreement with Singapore’s IMRE Institute of Materials Research and Engineering group to jointly develop next generation computer displays. The two are working on Organic Light Emitting Diode technology for commercial applications. IMRE has expertise in using OLEDs on flexible materials, and Siemens has been carrying out OLED developments on glass. OLED displays are made up of several thin organic layers sandwiched between two electrodes. When electricity passes through the organic compound, it emits light. OLEDs enable high resolution large display areas which take up very little power, and are fast enough to replace expensive active matrix screens for video applications. They also have a wide viewing angle. Siemens hopes to use the resulting technology for the screens of cellular smart-phones, personal organizers, pagers, advertising panels, touch screens, teleconferencing, virtual reality and information kiosk products. Researchers predict that roll-up TV screens using OLED technology could appear over the next five to ten years.
