PPG Industries has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for “significant achievements” in advancing organic light-emitting diode (OLED) lighting technology. Dennis O’Shaughnessy, Ph.D., PPG associate director for flat glass research and development, accepted the award on behalf of the PPG team during the 2013 Solid-State Lighting (SSL) R&D (Research and Development) Workshop in Long Beach, Calif.
PPG’s advances are the result of a two-year project initiated with the DOE in 2010 to promote the commercialization and mass production of OLED lighting. The PPG team led by Abhinav Bhandari, Ph.D., project engineer, has demonstrated a float glass-based integrated substrate with scalable light-extraction technologies and transparent conductive films for OLED lighting applications.
The results indicate significant cost and performance advantages over conventional indium tin oxide (ITO)-coated display-grade glass substrates. PPG’s light-extraction technologies are compatible with the conventional float glass manufacturing process and result in significant enhancement of device efficiencies, according to O’Shaughnessy.
Dick Beuke, PPG vice president, flat glass, said the new glass substrate is one of several major initiatives PPG is advancing to reduce energy use in the U.S.
“At PPG, we are proud to be developing glass technologies to make OLED lighting more viable for mass use,” he said. “This research enhances and complements the work our scientists are doing in architectural glass and coatings to make homes and buildings more energy efficient, and in solar technology to help that industry achieve grid parity.”
Mehran Arbab, Ph.D., PPG director, glass science and technology, said, “OLED lights have the potential to emit four times as much light per watt as incandescent bulbs. Widespread commercial use of this technology could significantly reduce energy use in homes, buildings and workplaces.”
PPG was the only company honored in the OLED lighting area at the three-day workshop, which brought together nearly 300 researchers, manufacturers and industry insiders who are promoting and monitoring the latest developments in SSL technology. The DOE supports SSL R&D efforts to accelerate market introduction of high-efficiency, high-performance SSL products. Its mission for the SSL R&D portfolio is to “create a new, U.S.-led market for high efficiency, general illumination products through the advancement of semiconductor technologies, to save energy, reduce costs and enhance the quality of the lighted environment.”
