Bye bye burn-in? Solution discovered for OLED's biggest weakness

Samuel Buchmann

28.3.2024

Translation: machine translated

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have achieved a breakthrough in OLED technology. A new design could eliminate burn-in and make the displays cheaper at the same time.

Whoever buys a device with an OLED display usually worries about burn-in. With televisions, ghost images are hardly a problem because the picture is constantly moving. However, the risk of burn-in is significantly higher with monitors, as static image elements such as menu bars can eat into the display over time.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge have apparently found a solution to burn-in. In a study in the scientific journal "Nature Materials", they identify the blue LED as the villain. It requires the most energy in relation to the other colours and is relatively unstable - and therefore most frequently responsible for burn-in effects.

The problem is a flow of energy between the two molecules that make up an OLED: from the "sensitiser" to the "terminal transmitter". This energy transfer affects the efficiency and stability of the light-emitting diode. Until now, manufacturers have used a complicated design with several layers to prevent this. It is very costly to produce and can fail over time.

The researchers have now found a simpler solution. They coat the molecules with alkylene strips. These minimise the risk of energy transfer, which is responsible for burn-in. Not only that - the production of OLEDs using this principle is much simpler than the previous one.

If the new process proves successful in practice, it would be a major breakthrough. The bottom line is that OLED displays could no longer suffer from burn-in in the future and become cheaper at the same time. However, display manufacturers must first adopt the method, test it and integrate it into their production. This is likely to take a few years.

Samuel Buchmann

Senior Editor

Samuel.Buchmann@digitecgalaxus.ch

My fingerprint often changes so drastically that my MacBook doesn't recognise it anymore. The reason? If I'm not clinging to a monitor or camera, I'm probably clinging to a rockface by the tips of my fingers.