The efficacy of white OLEDs continues to improve rapidly. OLED developer Universal Display Corp. say they have demonstrated a record-breaking white OLED with an efficacy of 102 lumens per watt at 1000 cd/m2 using its proprietary, high-efficiency phosphorescent OLED technology.
Of course, these are R&D results that are years away from production. In contrast, 100 lm/W LEDs are commercially available now.
Funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) through its Solid-State Lighting initiative, Universal Display’s 102 lpw milestone is a step on the path toward the roadmap goal of a 150 lpw commercial OLED light source by 2015.
White OLEDs are also readily color tunable, from cool to warm whites, with “extremely pleasing” white emission that simulates natural lighting.
UDC also offered some comparison with inorganic LEDs, saying that white OLEDs are excellent diffuse emitters with the potential to be significantly more cost-effective in high-volume production