A new national R&D project has recently been started in Germany focusing on the development of OLED displays and lighting applications. AIXTRON will participate in this 14.7 million Euro project together with ten other partners with the target to strengthen Germany’s leading position in the fast growing OLED market.

Funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) for a total period of three years, So-Light (Special organic Light) will focus on specific OLED applications, such as special lighting systems and displays. The technological focus will be on novel materials (transport materials, triplet emitter, redox dopants and matrix materials), improved optical systems and on process technologies for small molecule based OLEDs. As part of the latter element, AIXTRON will take the lead in this area through the optimization of its proprietary OVPD* (Organic Vapor Phase Deposition) technology. Other project deliverables will be application studies and demonstrator devices for specific applications such as automotive or architectural lighting and backlights for large displays.

"We are very happy to participate in this project”, says Prof. Michael Heuken, Vice President R&D at AIXTRON. “OLEDs and its application for special lighting and signage purposes is one of our strategic research targets. The So-Light project partners share the vision that OLEDs will play an important role to provide environmentally friendly light sources combined with novel design opportunities.”

AIXTRONs partners in the So-Light project are Novaled AG Dresden, Sensient Imaging Technologies GmbH, Westfälische Wilhelms University of Münster, Fraunhofer IPMS Dresden, Symboled GmbH, Fresnel Optics GmbH, Hella KGaA Hueck & Co, Siteco Beleuchtungstechnik GmbH, AEG-MIS mbH and  the University of Paderborn.