Simplifying OLED manufacturing for the domestic production of advanced avionic displays

Mattrix Technologies has developed an innovative vertical organic light-emitting transistor (VOLT) technology that enables cost-effective US-based manufacturing of the state-of-the-art Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) displays. This fulfills two major DAF needs: 1) By supplying US-made OLED displays directly to DAF/DoD prime contractors, Mattrix will create a secure supply chain for these critical electronic components (currently >85% flat panel displays are produced in China and Taiwan, and NONE in the US). 2) Modernization to address long-term strategic U.S. competition: replacing presently used liquid crystal (LCD) displays with lightweight, low power consumption, high brightness, high contrast, wide viewing angle OLED displays in DAF avionic head-down, head-up and helmet-mounted display systems. At the heart of MattrixÆs breakthrough VOLT display technology is a proprietary pixel architecture, that combines three key components: the drive transistor, the storage capacitor and the OLED stack into an integrated single device. This optoelectronic device simplifies each of the millions of pixels in a display by reducing the number of internal circuit elements in the transistor backplane from (up to) twelve, down to two. This ultra-simple pixel circuit accommodates an emissive aperture ratio of >70%, thus enabling the OLED to be driven at a lower current density for a given display brightness, prolonging OLED lifetime. The vertical orientation allows inexpensive organic semiconductors to be used in place of costly and challenging-to-process inorganic semiconductors and provides increased operational stability. The VOLT architecture also permits variable refresh rates between 0.1 ¢ 120Hz, which can further reduce power consumption by up to 20%.Ā The switching transistor is the same as that used in LCD displays, making it possible to repurpose existing amorphous silicon (a-Si) LCD backplane manufacturing infrastructure, mitigating capital investment risk and minimizing tooling costs. These features add up to a transformational design that will enable the cost-effective production of high performance, secure, OLED displays in the US. In Phase I, identification of the key DAF end-users and evaluation of the compatibility of the VOLT technology with dual-use applications is crucial in advancing to the next phase of development. During Phase II, the refined roadmap will guide the avionic display prototype development, operational testing, and evaluation process with potential end-users. Upon completion of Phase II, the product will be ready for implementation with government and commercial users in Phase III.