How to Invent: A 37-Year Journey with OLEDs

Inspired by the first report of a two-layer heterojunction OLED by Tang and VanSlyke in 1987, our group began OLED research at Yamagata University in 1989. Our first OLED device was a terbium-complex-based green emitter that exhibited triplet-state emission. We then shifted our focus to polymer OLEDs, leading to the development of the world’s first white OLEDs. Subsequently, we developed vacuum-deposited white OLEDs, marking the beginning of our research on OLED lighting.

OLED performance has advanced steadily over the past three decades. In 2003, our group first reported tandem OLEDs at SID, demonstrating a device architecture capable of achieving both high brightness and long operational lifetime. In 2011, Lumiotec commercialized the world’s first OLED lighting panels. Subsequently, LG adopted tandem white OLEDs with color filters for the mass production of large-size OLED display panels. Today, OLED displays are widely used in consumer electronics and are predominantly manufactured by vacuum deposition.

In this talk, I will describe how these innovations were conceived and developed over the past 37 years, highlighting the key ideas behind each breakthrough and discussing future directions for OLED technology.

Speaker: Junji Kido, Distinguished Research Professor, Frontier Center for Organic Materials, Yamagata University

Attend in person or watch online (see weblink)

Room: Allen Annex Room 101X auditorium