Philips and Novaled Announce New Records for Lifetime and Efficiency of High-Brightness White OLEDs

Philips and Novaled reached a new record for the power efficiencyof a white OLED, obtaining 32 lm/W with colour coordinates of0,47/0,45 and a CRI of 88 at a brightness of 1000 cd/m2. That samedevice structure thereby simultaneously shows a lifetime of more than20000 hours which is a major achievement for a futurecommercialization of the OLED technology for lighting applications.The efficiency of the device was measured using an integrating sphereusing only the forward emission cone of the OLED device withoutattaching any lens or any other volume type luminaire to the OLEDdevice. This is the only method to reliably predict power efficiencyvalues for large area lighting tiles.

"This is an important step forward, as it consistently proves thepotential of the OLED technology for lighting applications and showscontinuous strong advancements in the technical development," commentsDr. Dietrich Bertram, manager of the OLED development at PhilipsLighting.

Dr. Jan Blochwitz-Nimoth, CTO of the Novaled AG adds:"This resultcombines for the first time ultra-high power efficiency and highoperational stability and can pave the way to a bright future of OLEDlighting. We expect to be able to increase this efficiency to valuesabove 50lm/W in the near future."

The joint research effort is another example of successfulcollaboration between leading OLED R&D centres in Europe. The resultwill be used in future developments, ongoing projects and the recentlystarted European project OLLA (Organic LEDs for LightingApplications), in which both parties are involved (see also:www.olla-project.org).

About OLEDs

OLEDs, unlike normal (inorganic) LEDs, incorporate organicmaterials in thin layers generating light emission when electricalpower is applied. In contrast to LEDs, they are rather large-areasources with low brightness that emit diffuse light in any colour.They can be easily structured to show patterns of colour orhomogeneous white light. Currently OLEDs are mainly applied in smalldisplay applications, e.g. mobile telephones, MP3 players or personaldigital assistants (PDAs). In the future, thanks to OLEDs' diffuseemission character and slim/lightweight form, it will be easier forpeople to create an adaptable lighting environment and to feelcomfortable in any mood. By combining colour with shape, organic LEDswill also create a new way of decorating and personalizing people'ssurroundings with light. OLEDs offer the potential to become even moreefficient as energy-saving bulbs. Once efficient OLEDs are availableat mass production costs, they can be used for a multitude ofapplications in lighting.

About Royal Philips Electronics

Royal Philips Electronics of the Netherlands (AEX:PHI) (NYSE:PHG)is one of the world's biggest electronics companies and Europe'slargest, with sales of EUR 30.3 billion in 2004. With activities inthe three interlocking domains of healthcare, lifestyle and technologyand 161,500 employees in more than 60 countries, it has marketleadership positions in medical diagnostic imaging and patientmonitoring, color television sets, electric shavers, lighting andsilicon system solutions. News from Philips are located atwww.philips.com/newscenter .

About Novaled:

Novaled AG is engaged in the research, development andcommercialization of organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technologiesand proprietary materials. The Company is a spin-off of the DresdenUniversity and the Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. Main investors are CreditAgricole Private Equity, TechnoStart, TechFund Capital Europe and CDCEntreprises Innovation.

Founded in 2001, Novaled experienced a rapid growth maturing intoa world-class company. Novaled commercializes its Novaled PIN OLEDTMtechnology along with its proprietary OLED materials to display makersand lighting companies. The company has a strong IP position in OLEDtechnology based on more than 160 patents granted or pending.www.novaled.com