Thin Film Packaging Solutions for High-Efficiency OLED Lighting Products

Investigating Organization
Dow Corning Corporation

Principal Investigator(s)
Ken Weidner

Subcontractor
Philips Lighting

Funding Source
Building Technologies Program/NETL

Award
DOE Share: $2,414,300; Contractor Share: $2,348,673

Contract Period
11/30/04 - 06/30/08

Dow Corning seeks to demonstrate thin film packaging solutions that are based on Silicon Carbide barrier coatings.  When these coatings are applied to glass and plastic support OLED lighting devices, they will provide longer life with greater efficiency at lower costs than are currently available.

Full realization of the potential benefits of this work requires investment and progress in component technologies for OLED lighting.  The work of Dow Corning and their partner addresses a number of the key technology challenges with the objective to integrate the advances into a fully operational device.  Dow Corning first will examine and identify low-cost alternatives to the expensive display quality glass substrates used to make OLED devices today.  Second, they will develop low cost encapsulation technology to prevent degradation by air-borne moisture.  Third, they will refine the light emitting architecture to fully exploit the energy efficient promise of OLED technology.  And finally, they will combine these advances to produce working prototypes for specialty lighting applications as a step towards realizing the full potential of this technology for general illumination purposes.

The work will be completed in three phases, each a year in duration.

Content dated 2/08