Scientists Develop a Solution to OLED Burn-in

[btarunr]

OLED is the future of flat screen displays, as they provide superior color reproduction, dynamic range, response-times, and energy efficiency, over LCD. The latest crop of OLED panels powering notebooks and desktop monitors, however, have a problem that wasn't as prevalent with OLED-based televisions—burn-in. This is what happens when an OLED panel displays a static image for too long, causing regions of the panel to permanently discolor. Some PC monitor makers are jumping in to offer extended warranties against burn-in to their customers, as they realize that they just sold an expensive, exotic piece of technology that could potentially degrade within- or not long after their standard warranty periods. Scientists at the University of Cambridge think they have found a breakthrough solution against OLED burn-in.

Scientists discovered that the main culprit behind OLED burn-in is the blue diode. The blue LED has been an elusive technology that only came into existence several decades after green and red. It's only with the arrival of the blue LED that white could be made, turning LED into mankind's primary lighting source, and eventually the OLED panel. Blue is a relatively higher energy diode, and uses more exotic GaN substrate. The Cambridge scientists discovered that jacketing the blue diode alkylene straps would cut down burn-in, and make the manufacturing process more efficient. They have published their method in the Nature magazine. Unfortunately, it will be a while before display manufacturers take an interest in the new method, and re-tool their OLED production lines to incorporate it—we imagine at least a couple of years.



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[natr0n]

simple solution, someone just has to make mini led jackets

 

[Minus Infinity]

simple solution, someone just has to make mini led jackets

That makes zero sense.

 

[dir_d]

I wonder what the draw backs are. There's always at least one.

 

[Crackong]

simple solution, someone just has to make mini led jackets

If I am not mistaken,
This solution isn't a physical jacket on top of a LED diode.
It is a alteration of the chemicals used in the emitter coating of an blue OLED diode.
It described it as 'jacket' only because in molecular level, it looks like a 'shell' has been built around the original emitter molecule.

 

[dir_d]

If I am not mistaken,
This solution isn't a physical jacket on top of a LED diode.
It is a alteration of the chemicals used in the emitter coating of an blue OLED diode.
It described it as 'jacket' only because in molecular level, it looks like a 'shell' has been built around the original emitter molecule.

I read a couple more articles and you are right.

 

[Space Lynx]

I was aware that LG 4k OLED tv's don't use blue OLED's for this very reason. They use white OLED's only as they are less prone to burn in.

That's why LG 4K is called WOLED

@nguyen @R-T-B care to help me understand this? this won't help LG correct? LG went another way already.

 

[Wavetrex]

I was aware that LG 4k OLED tv's don't use blue OLED's for this very reason. They use white OLED's only as they are less prone to burn in.

That's why LG 4K is called WOLED

@nguyen @R-T-B care to help me understand this? this won't help LG correct? LG went another way already.

"white" LED are actually blue LED with a phosphorus coating over it, that takes the energy from the blue LED and spreads it over multiple energy bands, resulting in a roughly white light. Depending on the composition and quality of that phosphorus coating, you get warmer or colder white (check your LED lamps in your house, some might be warm white 3000K or lower, others might be cold white, 4000K or more)

The WOLEDs in TVs and monitors are no different, just much smaller than typical lighting LEDs

 

[BArms]

The industry is beginning turn away from OLEDs entirely it seems. MiniLED contrast with FALD looks spectactular, not as good as OLED yet but they can get much brighter than OLED. MicroLEDs when they get cheap enough will probably kill OLED off for good. The new industry standard is HDR Highlights mastered at 4000 nits, the best OLEDs can't come near that and probably never will.

 

[Bwaze]

I was aware that LG 4k OLED tv's don't use blue OLED's for this very reason. They use white OLED's only as they are less prone to burn in.

That's why LG 4K is called WOLED

@nguyen @R-T-B care to help me understand this? this won't help LG correct? LG went another way already.

LG WOLED panels use "white" (actually all the color emmiters combined), and then filter it.

Samsung QD-OLED use blue emmiter only and then change the wavelength.

"Scientists discovered that the main culprit behind OLED burn-in is the blue diode." - I'm pretty sure this was known from the start, the blue LED light was always problematic, and OLED isn't any different.

So, does that mean that all the super duper 4K OLED gaming monitors that are comming out now for 1200 EUR will be obsolete pretty quickly?

 

[AusWolf]

Cool. I might rethink my strict "no OLED" policy if this actually works.

 

[R-T-B]

LG WOLED panels use "white" (actually all the color emmiters combined), and then filter it.

Samsung QD-OLED use blue emmiter only and then change the wavelength.

"Scientists discovered that the main culprit behind OLED burn-in is the blue diode." - I'm pretty sure this was known from the start, the blue LED light was always problematic, and OLED isn't any different.

So, does that mean that all the super duper 4K OLED gaming monitors that are comming out now for 1200 EUR will be obsolete pretty quickly?

That's the thing though, no true blue diode in WOLED, just a color filter. I'm not entirely convinced its the same as LEDs either where the white is actually the same as the blue, just coated. Fairly sure it's a unique OLED diode. Kodak patents IIRC.

 

[azrael]

Sounds promising. Now, if people would finally start calling "burn-in" what it actually is, namely burn-out.

 

[AusWolf]

Sounds promising. Now, if people would finally start calling "burn-in" what it actually is, namely burn-out.

I just call it shit. Simple.

 

[Bwaze]

A lot of people now call it "you're using it wrong", although there really isn't a simple solution to displaying static elements for productivity. Or even gameplay. Or TV watching.

I have a 12 year old plasma TV that has less "burn in" (it also happens on that technology) than my friends' 4 years old LG OLED - especially on the lower portion where the subtitles are displayed.

 

[AusWolf]

A lot of people now call it "you're using it wrong", although there really isn't a simple solution to displaying static elements for productivity. Or even gameplay. Or TV watching.

I have a 12 year old plasma TV that has less "burn in" (it also happens on that technology) than my friends' 4 years old LG OLED - especially on the lower portion where the subtitles are displayed.

Exactly.

You've got the taskbar on Windows, the notification bar on Android, TV channel logos, game HUD, etc. There's no way to "use OLED right". It's just not fit for purpose.

 

[Chomiq]

That makes zero sense.

Imagine a tiny jacket the size of an oled pixel, you gently put it around the oled and then repeat for 8 million other oleds. Just like doing pigs in a blanket.

 

[qlum]

Not a fan of articles like this, some university research has been done, which may or may not be used to improve longlivity of blue oleds in the future.

Good in an academic sense but if it ends up helping in a practical one is an open question.

 

[Chrispy_]

Not a fan of articles like this, some university research has been done, which may or may not be used to improve longlivity of blue oleds in the future.

Good in an academic sense but if it ends up helping in a practical one is an open question.

Exactly. A breakthrough being made does not mean it's going to be economically-viable to mass-produce.
Take nuclear fusion, for example. Breakthrough after breakthrough for the last 30 years, but we're still the same "20 years away" from it being scalable to a commercial fusion power station.

 

[Bwaze]

Or the many battery breakthroughs we see on tech sites monthly, or even weekly.

 

[Wirko]

That's the thing though, no true blue diode in WOLED, just a color filter. I'm not entirely convinced its the same as LEDs either where the white is actually the same as the blue, just coated. Fairly sure it's a unique OLED diode. Kodak patents IIRC.

It seems impossible to find a reliable and up-to-date source. Here's PC Magazine's take:



RTings is as credible as it gets but explains it less clearly:

LG's solution to this problem was to replace the separate red, green, and blue emitters with a single layer that produces white light.

I think @Wavetrex is right about the LG WOLED technology here. There's a blue OLED light source and a yellow phosphorescent layer ("YB emitters") that together emit white light. Not RGB emitters whose light gets mixed together to form white light.

 

[FoulOnWhite]

Exactly.

You've got the taskbar on Windows, the notification bar on Android, TV channel logos, game HUD, etc. There's no way to "use OLED right". It's just not fit for purpose.

Or the blue top bar on facebook, seen so many samsung phones with that burnt in, people need to stop using crappy social media so much.

 

[Wirko]

Sounds promising. Now, if people would finally start calling "burn-in" what it actually is, namely burn-out.

The black and white television CRT is nearly a hundred years old and the term "burn-in" is probably older (as cathode ray tubes with luminescent coatings existed before television). It's high time we changed it to something less painful!

 

[Lewzke]

the solution: get IPS displays

 

[theouto]

the solution: get IPS displays

Hardly a solution, as it means having to buy a display with worse contrast, colour reproduction, response times, possibly energy efficiency too. There will likely always be drawbacks, but no single silver bullet.