OLED, QLED, MicroLED: Who is the Next Generation Display Technology?

Everyone will almost certainly think of LCD and OLED when discussing display panels. The former is a technology that has gained a lot of traction and is frequently utilized in many different display devices. The latter is a new display technology, also referred to as the next-generation display technology, that has progressively gained popularity in recent years. In addition, QLED and MicroLED are now the leading display technologies of the future.

What distinguishes OLED, QLED, and MicroLED from one another and who is the next generation of display technology?

Ⅰ. Burn-in OLED

The term "OLED," which stands for organic light-emitting diode, describes the process whereby an electric field-driven carrier injection and recombination in organic semiconductor materials and light-emitting materials results in the emission of light. Instead than discussing the theory, let's discuss the benefits of OLED over conventional LCD.

One of the main benefits of OLEDs is their ability to illuminate themselves. OLEDs, which can emit light on their own, can make TVs exceedingly thin, in contrast to liquid crystals, which cannot emit light and must rely on the backlight. OLED TVs from LG have an astounding 2.57 mm thickness, with the thickest component measuring no more than 5 mm. Additionally, as the OLED is self-illuminated by the pixel, it may implement pixel-level partitioned lighting, perform pixel switching, and possibly achieve infinite contrast.

OLED also provides a wider viewing angle and uses less electricity than LCD with a backlight module because to its self-luminous features. The color performance of OLED is also significantly superior than LCD, with a larger color spectrum, at the same time. In order to create soft screens, OLED can be generated on a variety of flexible substrate materials, including polymers and resins. This property of OLED is utilized by phones with curved screens and foldable phones.

The organic materials used in OLED age more quickly than the inorganic materials used in LCD, and OLED will leave afterimages when displaying a static image for an extended period of time, which is OLED. These are fatal faults. distinctive burn-in phenomena Although there are numerous methods that can reduce the occurrence of screen burn-in, the problem still isn't very well solved.

Figure. 1

Ⅱ. QLED living in the lab

Let's talk about QLED after discussing OLED. The quantum dot light-emitting diode is another name for QLED. OLED benefits from QLED's self-illumination, slow response time, wide color range, and other features. Since QLED uses inorganic quantum dot materials, which have a longer lifespan than OLED organic materials and won't burn the screen, its advantages over OLED are incomparable.

However, the same technology as OLED cannot be employed due to the drawbacks of quantum dots of quantum dot light-emitting diodes that are easily damaged by heat and moisture, and a new approach needs to be devised. Since QLED technology is still in its infancy, there are still limitations including low reliability and efficiency, unstable component life, and challenges in the research and development of solution processes. As a result, QLED is now only available in laboratories, and its commercial application is still some time off.

Figure. 2

Someone will now inquire, "Hasn't Samsung already launched a QLED TV?" In actuality, the QLED TVs now on the market are an improved version of LCD TVs rather than true QLEDs. LCD TVs can be made to perform better than conventional LCD TVs by placing a quantum dot film layer in front of the backlight of the TVs. better color performance and image quality.

Because of this, the QLED TVs currently on the market are photoluminescent and require a backlight, whereas the true QLED is electroluminescent and can achieve pixel self-illumination.

Figure. 3

Ⅲ. Expensive MicroLED

In essence, MicroLED is an LED light-emitting billboard, but it produces each tiny lamp bead to the micron level, unlike the LED light-emitting billboards we see on the road. MicroLED is similarly self-luminous at the pixel level like OLED. The conventional inorganic LED array is reduced in size. With a 10 micron LED pixel size, each one may be separately addressed and lighted.

Figure. 4

Compared to current OLED technology, microLEDs are more efficient and brighter while using less electricity. However, the manufacturing of MicroLEDs is challenging, with "mass transfer technology" posing the greatest challenge.

The high cost of MicroLED is a result of the manufacture's severe production challenges and low yield. Large-screen MicroLED TVs are now too expensive for the average person to afford.

Figure. 5

Ⅳ. Who is the next generation display technology？

OLED, QLED, and MicroLED are the next-generation display technologies. The pixels are self-illuminating and function well, not scorching the screen. OLED is clearly inferior than QLED and MicroLED, which have longer lives. However, things change when you take into account how various technologies are currently developing. In contrast to MicroLED, which has a low yield rate and high cost and currently has no genuine civilian product, OLED has been able to accomplish mass manufacturing, even if the cost is often greater than QLED. QLED is still in the laboratory stage, and mass production is still in the future. Although the LCD is somewhat higher, it is still within the permitted limit.

Figure. 6

As of now, OLED may be anticipated to displace LCD as the next-generation display technology if the cost can be further reduced. OLED is a transitional technology as well, and QLED and MicroLED are the ultimate forms, in the long term. In terms of the present, LCD is still the big brother when it comes to TVs, despite OLED starting to displace LCD in the sector of small screens like those seen in smartphones.

In actuality, choosing a display technology is not a big concern for us consumers. Cheap and simple are paramount. Even if QLED and MicroLED can be commercialized, if the price does not go down, it still cannot shake the status of LCD.