OLED

Introduction

Organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays are an alternative to LCD displays for embedded devices. The major advantage of OLED displays is that the pixels directly emit light, meaning that they do not require a backlight and therefore have lower power requirements. OLED displays also have higher colour range, wider viewing angle, and a faster response time than LCD displays. Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) discovered and were the first to publicly demonstrate Light Emitting Polymer devices http://www.cdtltd.co.uk/.

The main disadvantage of OLED displays is that, because they contain organic materials, they have a shorter lifespan than LCD displays. OLED displays are typically rated for around 5000 hours of use, compared to 60,000 hours for LCD displays. OLED displays can also be easily damaged by water. Depending on the target application for an OLED display, care may be needed to ensure that the display is adequately sealed.

OLED displays are typically quite small, both physically and in terms of viewable resolution. Sony has demonstrated several large OLED displays, including a 27-inch, 5mm thick display cable of HD resolution at 1920x1080. For more information look here http://www.oled-info.com/oledTV.

Uses

OLED displays are often used as small, or secondary displays in embedded devices. For example some flip-open cell-phones use an normal LCD display as the main screen, and an a small OLED display on the outside for when the phone is closed. The low power draw of the OLED display makes them ideal in this situation since the main LCD is turned off when the phone is closed. OLED displays have also been used in digital cameras, car radios and portable music players.

OLED Displays with Rig 200

As most OLED displays provide a controller interface similar to LCD displays, the Rig 200 Display Plus can drive these directly. Most common OLED displays are 2-4cm in size at present, but this is expected to grow as the technology improves.