SBIR Phase II: Flexible Printed OLED Displays

这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）第二阶段项目的更广泛的影响/商业潜力是创造低成本，灵活的显示器，使智能对象能够更好地与用户通信。研究人员估计，2017年有200亿台非计算机设备连接到互联网，预计到2025年将增长到1250亿台。这些物联网设备已经在交通、健康、工厂生产、公共安全、零售、农业、家庭和办公室的许多应用中使用。这些设备可以实现更好的资源分配、预测性维护、运营管理、工人培训、任务自动化、能源管理和安全；它们将需要轻薄、低功耗、可弯曲、易于阅读的显示器。近期的需求是自动交通，这将需要一种在车辆和乘客之间进行视觉交流的方法。该项目将开发有机发光二极管（OLED）显示器；这一最初的交通应用将有助于改善老年人和残疾人的流动性、交通安全以及相关需求。从长远来看，该项目将使制造改进的显示器，减少加工浪费。这个小企业创新研究（SBIR）二期项目将开发卷对卷印刷无源矩阵（OLED）显示器。这些显示器建立在一个透明的导电阳极上，该阳极定义了像素。迄今为止，工业上唯一使用的制造这种阳极的方法是光刻，这是一个缓慢而昂贵的过程。这里开发的高分辨率可印刷阳极取代了现有材料和平版印刷工艺，为完全卷对卷印刷显示器奠定了基础。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

The broader impact/commercial potential of this Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project is the creation of low-cost, flexible displays allowing smart objects to better communicate with their users. Researchers estimate that in 2017 there were 20 billion devices connected to the Internet that were not computers, estimated to grow to 125 billion by 2025. These Internet of Things devices are already used in many applications for transportation, health and wellness, factory production, public safety, retail, agriculture, homes, and offices. These devices can enable better resource allocation, predictive maintenance, operations management, worker training, task automation, energy management, and safety; they will require displays that are thin, low power, flexible or curved, and easy to read. A near-term need is autonomous transportation, which will need a method of visual communication between vehicle and rider. This project will develop organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays; just this initial transportation application will help improve mobility for the elderly and disabled, traffic safety, and related needs. In the longer term, this project will enable manufacturing of improved displays with reduced processing waste.This Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase II project will develop roll-to-roll printed passive matrix (OLED) displays. These displays are built upon a patterned transparent conductive anode that defines the pixels. To date, the only method used in industry to create this anode is photolithography, a slow and expensive process. The high-resolution printable anode developed here replaces both the incumbent material and the lithographic process, laying the foundation for fully roll-to-roll printed displays.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.