OLED lighting has become a hot topic in the solid-state lighting industry. For a while, opinions such as "OLED will replace LED", "LED is gone", "OLED cannot temporarily shake the status of LED", and "OLED wants to change the life of LED" have emerged one after another. Of course, there are also many voices that sing down OLED lighting. In short, the topic of LED and OLED PK has become very hot. So, in the field of solid-state lighting, which one is better or worse, LED compared to OLED?
Positive side: LED industrialization has stronger competitive strength
In theory, LED lighting can last for 100000 hours, and the luminous efficiency of LED chips can reach over 120lm/W, compared to OLEDs, which do not have an advantage.
To focus on a new technology or product, one should not only focus on the technology or product itself, but also value its future industrial development. The development of solid-state lighting industrialization is closely related to factors such as cost, lifespan, and light efficiency, and of course, these factors also have a causal relationship with the technology itself. Those who emphasize the competitive strength of LED lighting and criticize OLED lighting are no more than writing articles on these factors.
For cost, the price of LED packaging level is $5/klm, and the price of integrated lighting fixtures is $20 to $100/klm, while OLEDs are much more expensive. Some people believe that OLED is not a cost-effective option at the price point of $300 to $500/klm (panel level), including the cost of lighting design. Although OLED suppliers typically position their products in professional market areas, high prices still hinder market development. Of course, the price issue of OLEDs is still attributed to technological level, and the packaging layer (barrier, bonding, and sealing) and integrated substrate (transparent conductive layer, substrate, and output layer) are still the main cost drivers.
Regarding the lifespan, industry insiders believe that LED lighting theoretically can last 100000 hours. However, there are issues such as heat generation affecting lifespan and light decay during use, and the lifespan of OLED devices is severely insufficient, generally only 5000-8000 hours. If OLED lighting applications are to be popularized, their lifespan must be further improved. The initial goal is to reach the level of fluorescent lamps, which is 20000 hours, while the future goal is to reach 50000 hours, To achieve this goal, it is necessary to make significant breakthroughs in materials and further improve the device structure and process level.
For light efficiency, the luminous efficiency of LED chips can reach over 120lm/W. When additional lamps are added, the actual efficiency may decrease to around 60-70lm/W under the influence of lampshades, light scattering devices, and other devices; OLED lighting can only achieve 30-50lm/W at present, and some people say it can reach up to 60lm/W. However, there is still a significant gap between the two.
Opposite: OLED lighting will emerge as a new force
OLED lighting is a continuous spectrum, with no UV issues at all. The light is more natural and gentle, and it hardly harms human vision.
Surface light source is a unique "label" for OLED lighting, and many advertised advantages have emerged around this feature. For example, in the design of lighting fixtures, LED heating is concentrated and requires additional lampshades, heat dissipation devices, or light scattering devices, making the design of lighting fixtures more complex. The planar light source characteristics of OLED are not only suitable for various types of lamp designs, but also have better heat dissipation performance, without the need for additional heat dissipation components to increase lamp costs. If a flexible substrate is used, OLED will become a flexible surface light source, which is believed to be favored by many designers and create more imaginative lighting forms. Because it is a surface light source, OLED lighting has high potential for emitting light on a large area, and it also has advantages in size.
The impact on human vision is another key factor for discussion, and OLED stands out in this regard. OLED lighting is a continuous spectrum that can use direct current. This natural light is also softer and almost does not harm human vision. More importantly, OLEDs have no UV issues at all. Most LEDs use ultraviolet light to excite visible light, which is then processed to form white or other colored light. If the components are exposed during ultraviolet treatment, it can cause harm to the human eye. The currently developed solar like OLED components can be widely used in daytime and nighttime lighting scenarios. OLED has ultra-high color rendering lighting design, and its color temperature performance and color rendering can also be changed through different processes or voltages to change the performance characteristics of lighting fixtures.
From the perspective of the industry chain, some industry insiders believe that the OLED industry chain is shorter and has stronger integration capabilities. Their reason is that upstream of the OLED industry chain, suppliers of various materials and components, such as organic semiconductor materials, electrode materials, substrate materials, light extraction materials, etc. Substrate suppliers are likely to integrate electrode materials and light extraction materials with the substrate, providing a complete substrate solution to midstream panel manufacturers. This not only simplifies the process, but also reduces costs. For the midstream, it is the panel manufacturing field. Due to the low environmental tolerance of organic semiconductor materials used in OLED devices, OLED panel manufacturers also undertake packaging responsibilities. This is different from the LED lighting industry. Currently, LED chip manufacturers and packaging providers are mostly independent. Although vertical integration has been booming in the LED field, it is still not as natural as the integration of OLED chips and packaging. For downstream, due to the more flexible design of OLED lamps, downstream lamp manufacturers can carry out corresponding design and development according to different lighting needs. Therefore, the integration ability of OLED lighting industry chain is stronger.
Conclusion: It is not a dispute between Yu and Liang, but a complementary symbiosis
LED has entered the field of general lighting on a large scale, while OLED is mainly used in special lighting fields. Next, it will enter high-end offices, commercial facilities, and high-end residential areas.
For OLED lighting and LED lighting, which is better or worse? In fact, more people believe that the two will "fulfill their respective responsibilities", coexist and develop together. From the perspective of lighting requirements, LED belongs to the category of point emitting, with concentrated lighting, making it more eye-catching when applied in outdoor environments. It is suitable for local area lighting, advertising signs, traffic warning signs, and other applications. OLED belongs to the category of surface emitting light, with softer and more uniform lighting, resulting in better indoor effects. Both have their own strengths.
In terms of application, LED has entered the field of general lighting on a large scale. As the OLED industry is still in its infancy, the first stage of OLED lighting is still for special lighting purposes, followed by high-end office, commercial facilities, and high-end residential lighting. To truly enter the general lighting market, it depends on the next step of technological development. OLED is a supplement to LED. From the current technical perspective, OLED needs to replace general lighting, but there are still technological bottlenecks. There are certain limitations to truly making household lighting, and we need to continue to tackle key issues in product development and technical investment. "Peter Laier, Chief Technology Officer of OSRAM GmbH, told reporters.
In fact, many international giants are not only vigorously developing LED lighting products, but also investing heavily in OLED research and development, and have mass-produced products. Among them, in addition to hoping to occupy a commanding position in the future technology field, I believe that the company's senior management is optimistic about the development prospects of both.
