Sumitomo Chemical Develops New Blue Material for Polymer LEDs
Sumitomo Chemical announced today that it has developed a new blue light-emitting material for polymer light emitting diodes (PLED). In developing this polymer material, which has a novel chemical structure, the company has achieved a chromaticity and a 10,000-hour service life level necessary for commercial use.
In the field of organic LEDs, a full-color display based on a low molecular weight material was launched this year and is already in practical use. In contrast to the low molecular material, PLEDs require a much simpler production process because the LEDs are easily applied to flat panel displays by printing, which results in significantly reduced manufacturing costs. This great cost advantage, coupled with low energy consumption self-luminance that eliminates the need for a backlight, will make PLEDs a major future display element.
However, major manufacturers of blue light-emitting materials have only been able to achieve a service life of a few thousand hours, insufficient for practical application. Sumitomo Chemical has successfully overcome technical hurdles to develop a blue light-emitting polymer with a unique new structure, different from phenylene vinylenes and fluorenes being developed by other major manufacturers. Sumitomo's polymer is characterized by light emitted at a hue much closer to pure blue, and it is capable of maintaining luminance for about 10,000 hours in some grades, a required level for practical use. The Company's researchers are working to optimize the blue light -emitting material for better luminance and longer service life.
In order to facilitate the commercial development of displays for the Company's new polymer material, Sumitomo Chemical has applied, together with a leading display equipment manufacturer Tokki Corp., for funding from Focus 21, a polymer light-emitting material project sponsored by the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), a Japanese government organization. With the recent grant of funding from the project, the Company has been given important impetus to promote widespread acceptance of PLED displays by related industries. Sumitomo Chemical is beginning technical studies for mass production of the blue light -emitting material to launch commercial operation within fiscal year 2004. Further, by applying this technology to red and green light-emitting materials, the Company intends to develop full-color display applications by fiscal 2005.
Concurrently, Sumitomo Chemical has begun working to develop a phosphorescent material, a next-generation material following organic LEDs. Based on the new PLED material technology, the Company is developing a green phosphorescent material that emits light at a low drive voltage of 3.5V, a high level of efficiency not achieved by any other known polymer phosphorescent materials. Eventually, this type of material will be increasingly used for Hi-vision and other large-sized displays.
Display materials comprise a business category of great strategic importance to Sumitomo Chemical. The Company is aggressively investing in facilities both in Japan and overseas to expand business in LCD materials, currently an area of high demand growth. At the same time, Sumitomo is conducting vigorous research in polymer LEDs and other key technologies for the future, to ensure long-term growth in display materials business.
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