FLAT PANEL LAMP BASED ON ORGANIC POLYMER HETEROSTRUCTURE FORLCD BACKLIGHT

OPTICAL SENSOR TECHNOLOGY PROPOSES TO DEVELOP HIGH LUMINOUS OUTPUT AND HIGH EFFICIENCY FLAT PANEL LAMPS FOR USE AS DISPLAY BACKLIGHT SOURCES. THE PROPOSED DEVICE IS BASED ON HIGH FLUORESCENCE QUANTUM EFFICIENCY ORGANIC POLYMERS AND A NEW ORGANIC SEMICONDUCTOR HETEROSTRUCTURE TO OBTAIN A VERY BRIGHT AND LARGE AREA LIGHT EMITTING SOURCE. THIS DEVICE HAS A POTENTIAL TO OFFER THE USEFUL LIGHT OUTPUT RIVALING THOSE OF FLUORESCENT BACKLIGHTS WITH THE DESIRABLE STRUCTURAL PROPERTIES SIMILAR TO THOSE OF ELECTOLUMINESCENT (EL) LAMPS. FURTHERMORE, THE NEW LAMP OFFERS LOW OPERATION VOLTAGE (< 20 VDC), AND THE MATERIAL CAN BE COATED ON SUITABLE SUBSTRATES AT LOW TEMPERATURES WITHOUT THE RISK OF DAMAGING ELECTRONIC COMPONENTS. MANY ORGANIC POLYMERS ARE NOW AVAILABLE IN THE VISIBLE SPECTRUM (INCLUDING BLUE), AND CERTAIN ORGANIC POLYMERS, SUCH AS CONJUGATED POLYMERS, HAVE BEEN COATED ON LARGE SUBSTRATES AND PROCESSED INTO STABLE AND GOOD STRUCTURAL THIN FILMS. THE THREE LAYER HETEROSTRUCTURE, WHERE THE EMISSIVE LAYER IS SANDWICHED BETWEEN ELECTRON AND HOLE TRANSPORT LAYERS, WILL ACHIEVE HIGH EFFICIENCY. THE FLAT PANEL LAMPS DEVELOPED UNDER THIS PROGRAM CAN BE EASILY INTEGRATED INTO FULL COLOR BACK-LIT LCDS. THE RESULTING SYSTEMS WOULD BE BRIGHTER AND LOWER POWER CONSUMPTION AS WELL AS SMALLER (LESS BULKY). CRITICAL MILITARY AND COMMERCIAL PORTABLE APPLICATIONS WOULD BENEFIT GREATLY FROM SUCH EFFICIENT LIGHTING DEVICES.