ROLE OF SILVER IN MODERN DISPLAY TECHNOLOGY
From computers to televisions to smart phones, displays impact how we view information on a daily basis. There is a pool of diverse technologies to choose from that enable certain displays for a given application. Among these are Organic Light Emitting Diodes (OLED) and its adjoining technology, Active Matrix OLED (AMOLED), which is gaining a bigger role in the market. Materion Advanced Chemicals produces high purity specialty materials to support these technologies.
AMOLED Technology Growing
While it may still be an emerging technology, particularly compared to that of dominant Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), experts see merit in pursuing AMOLED for its unique advantages. Among these are its wider color range, quicker response time, and higher operating temperature range. AMOLED critics however, would cite LCD devices’ longer lifetime and lower production costs as detractors. Nonetheless, it is evident that AMOLED technology has the opportunity to transcend its current position in the display market.
As commercialization of AMOLED technology rises, a variety of key materials have been considered along its course of development. Certain requirements must be met in order to ensure AMOLED quality and performance. These include: using anode materials with a high degree of adhesion; employing high performance reflecting materials to direct light to the backside of the device; and adopting appropriate emitters needed to maintain high intensity. There is a range of materials that can be examined for these different applications. That list would contain such metals as Chromium, Titanium, Gold and Copper. However, leading the pack would be silver.
Silver Advantages for Display Applications
Among candidates commercially available, silver has proven to have very high reflectance and high emitter intensity – qualities deemed necessary for superior performance. Silver in these roles can also reduce power consumption of battery-powered devices. While OLED commercial displays are fairly new, these silver properties have been known for some time. With over 100 years of metals expertise, silver is not new to Materion either. In order to achieve consistent materials properties, certain deposition technologies and manufacturing capabilities are desirable. At Materion, both evaporative and sputtering processes are used to achieve the optimal anode properties.
Silver Quality Impacts Performance
Whatever your optical or electronic market, to obtain high reliability in your end product it is critical to get the most from your silver supply. Materion uses fully characterized materials with 99.999% purity levels to produce higher yields with less downtime. As a world-class leader in the refining, recycling and recovery of metals, Materion would like partner with you to meet your needs.