On February 17, Lordin, a South Korean OLED material company, announced at the Korea‑India OLED Innovation Forum held in Hyderabad, Telangana, India, that it would mass‑produce blue phosphorescent OLED materials within this year.
OLEDs consist of self‑emissive materials. Based on emission mechanisms, OLEDs are categorized into phosphorescent and fluorescent types. Fluorescent OLEDs have an internal efficiency of only 25%, while phosphorescent OLEDs can theoretically reach 100%. However, phosphorescent materials are less stable than fluorescent ones, making commercialization challenging. Among the three primary colors (RGB), red and green phosphorescent OLEDs have already been commercialized, but blue phosphorescent OLEDs—which consume the most power—suffer from short lifetimes and have been difficult to apply in actual panels.
The head of Lordin’s research institute stated:“In fluorescent structures, three‑quarters of energy is lost as heat, and this heat directly shortens device lifetime.”
In OLEDs, electrons and holes meet and emit light in the emissive layer (EML) between the anode and cathode. Excitons—bound states of electrons and holes—play a key role. Depending on spin combinations, singlet and triplet excitons form at a ratio of 1:3. Conventional fluorescent materials can only convert singlet excitons (25%) into light, with the remaining 75% dissipated as heat.
Phosphorescent materials utilize triplet excitons for light emission as well, enabling a theoretical internal efficiency of 100%. This means brighter emission at the same current, or equal brightness at lower power consumption.
Lordin noted:“When efficiency is raised from 25% to 100%, brightness can be quadrupled at the same current, and power consumption is expected to decrease by at least 25–50%.”
This is expected to bring direct benefits such as longer smartphone battery life, brighter HDR for TVs, and improved outdoor visibility.
The foundation of blue phosphorescent R&D is thermal stability. Materials must withstand heat from continuous manufacturing processes for more than one week while maintaining initial performance.
Lordin emphasized:“Before pursuing efficiency, fundamentals such as thermal stability must first be secured.”
The company focused on strengthening molecular structural stability. Using deuterium substitution, it converts carbon‑hydrogen bonds to carbon‑deuterium bonds, reducing molecular vibrational energy and slowing degradation. Lordin pointed out:“Deuteration plays an indispensable role in extending the lifetime of blue materials.”
The company is also actively pursuing process simplification.Typical systems use multi‑component structures, such as N‑type hosts, P‑type hosts, and dopants. Lordin proposed a proprietary structure called ZETPLEX, which combines a specific host and dopant. The concept is to reduce components to minimize variables during vacuum deposition and simplify process control.
“Simplified structures help secure uniformity in mass production, and stability and driving voltage characteristics are also improving,” Lordin stressed.
Lordin stated that development in efficiency, lifetime, and driving voltage has entered the final stage. In particular, lifetime has improved drastically from early samples, with further room for enhancement.
The head of the research institute said:“We are optimizing materials and device structures simultaneously. Our goal is to move beyond R&D and actually launch mass production and application within this year.”
If blue phosphorescent materials enter mass production, the profit structure of the OLED industry is expected to shift. Lower power consumption at the same brightness will reshape panel cost structures, while reduced heat will extend panel lifespan and improve reliability. Applications will cover a wide range, including IT OLEDs, large‑size TVs, and next‑generation extended reality (XR) devices.Industry observers believe that once blue phosphorescent technology matures, OLEDs will undergo another generational shift.
Although OLEDs already outperform LCDs in image quality, there remains room for improvement in power efficiency, lifetime, and manufacturing stability.
Lordin commented:“Blue phosphorescence is not an option—it is a necessary stage. The adoption of this technology will open the next decade of OLEDs.”
