Tohoku Device has stated that it will soon be able to reach mass production on white OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) for backlight applications. The company says that improvements in evaporation technology have boosted yield rates from 50% to 75%, with rates of over 80% expected once mass production gets underweigh in October 2006. Monthly output is expected to reach between 150,000 to 200,000 units. According to the company, several mobile phone makers have already placed orders for the new device, which will have a brightness of 1000cd/m2 and a lifespan of 10,000 hours.

 

Although still not comparable to the current specifications and price of traditional LED (Light Emitting Diode) backlight, the company hopes that in three to four years further advances in material technology will allow the device to fully exploit its advantages in power consumption and heat dissipation . Given the lower brightness, OLED coming off the line initially will be used in STN (Supertwisted Nematic) displays between 1.5" and 2.5".