Russian scientists are engaged in developing a new generation of soft displays. They developed a multi-layer organic electro luminescence structure that paves the way for making television screens, notebooks, mobile telephones, and other electronic equipment.

Experts at the Frumkin Institute of Physical Chemistry and Electrochemistry of the Russian Academy of Sciences developed a thin organic light-emitting diode, OLED, which is the basis for a new generation of screens and displays. According to professor Yevgeny Maltsev, electro luminescence structures promise boundless opportunities for the development of a new generation of displays, which are significantly better than today’s liquid crystal displays or plasma displays.

An important advantage of these systems is that they work on low voltages, unlike the traditional high voltage equipment, and consume little power. These products are safer. Equipment based on OLED is very thin, with the thickness of the film measuring just several millimeters. The screens can be flexible. An OLED screen can be rolled into a tube or folded down. OLEDs enable greater range of colors and are energy efficient. This is a significant advantage over traditional liquid crystal displays.

The only problem facing OLEDs is that they need serious protection since they have no resistance to humidity and oxygen. This has hampered mass production of OLEDs. Scientists have not developed a way to protect them yet. The use of glass deprives them of flexibility. Leading companies, including Sony, Samsung, and others are also working on devising the new technology. Russian scientists remain confident they will begin production of the displays in the near future.