Scholars Journal of Engineering and Technology (SJET) ISSN 2321-435X (Online)

Sch. J. Eng. Tech., 2016; 4(4):206-210 ISSN 2347-9523 (Print)

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Review Article

Comparison of LED and OLED

Askari Mohammad Bagher
Department of Physics, Payame Noor University, Tehran, Iran

*Corresponding author
Askari Mohammad Bagher
Email: askarimohammadbagher@gmail.com

Abstract: LED stands for light-emitting diode. These are little solid-state devices that make light because of the
movement of electrons through a semi-conductor. LEDs are relatively small compared to compact fluorescent and
incandescent light bulbs, but they can get extremely bright. However, LEDs aren’t small enough to be used as the pixels
of a television – they’re way too big for that. That’s why LEDs are only used as the backlight for LCD televisions. OLED
stands for organic light-emitting diode. Very simply put, an OLED is made with organic compounds that light up when
fed electricity. That may not seem like a huge difference when compared to LED, but OLEDs can be made to be
extremely thin, small and remarkably flexible. On an OLED TV, each pixel lights itself up independently of the others. In
this article we will Compared OLED and LED.
Keywords: OLED, LED, LCD, LEC, PMOLED, AMOLED, PLED.

Introduction: silicon can be "doped" to create and control the number

The first true LED television was initially of electron holes. Doping is the adding of other
developed in 1977 by James P. Mitchell. Eventually, elements to the semiconductor material to change its
LED technology was developed in conjunction with properties. By doping a semiconductor you can make
LCD TVs, backlighting the LCD screen pixels. OLED two separate types of semiconductors in the same
technology was initially developed by Eastman Kodak crystal. The boundary between the two types is called a
Company. The initial use of OLED technology was in p-n junction. The junction only allows current to pass
wristwatches, car stereos, and MP3 players, among through it one way, this is why they are used as diodes.
other devices. OLED TVs are now gaining in LEDs are made using p-n junctions. As electrons pass
popularity, although they tend to cost more compared to through one crystal to the other they fill electron holes.
LED-backlit LCD TVs[1]. In terms of picture quality, They emit photons (light) [3].
OLED TVs are superior to LED/LCD TVs in nearly
every way. But picture quality isn’t the only
consideration at play. Let’s do a point-by-point
breakdown of how OLED and LED TVs stack up
against each other [2].

How LED Technology Works:

Currently the LED lamp is popular due to its
efficiency and many believe it is a 'new' technology.
The LED as we know it has been around for over 50
years. The recent development of white LEDs is what
has brought it into the public eye as a replacement for
other white light sources. LEDs create light by
electroluminescence in a semiconductor material.
Electroluminescence is the phenomenon of a material Fig 1: LED structure
emitting light when electric current or an electric field
is passed through it - this happens when electrons are LED TVs
sent through the material and fill electron holes. An Basically, LED TVs are LCD TVs with LEDs
electron hole exists where an atom lacks electrons in place that backlight the pixels of an LCD, since they
(negatively charged) and therefore has a positive don’t emit any illumination of their own. There are
charge. Semiconductor materials like germanium or three types of LED technology primarily used by LED
TV manufacturers, including white-edge LEDs, LED
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arrays, and dynamic LEDs. The below describes these they have an emissive layer and conductive layer
three LED technologies: sandwiched between two electrodes.
1. White-Edge LEDs: Placed around the edge of 1. Electric current passes from the cathode to the
the screen. They use a special panel, called a anode. It passes through two layers of organic
diffusion panel, to spread the light produced by molecules.
the LEDs evenly behind the TV screen. 2. The first layer the electrons pass into what is
2. LED Arrays: Arranged behind the TV screen, called the emissive layer. Electrons leave the
the brightness cannot be controlled conductive layer making 'holes' (positive
individually. charge). Meanwhile in the emissive layer there
3. Dynamic LEDs: An array of LEDS controlled are excessive electrons (negative). The 'holes'
either individually or in clusters so that the jump to the emissive layer along the border of
LEDs can be dimmed locally to modulate the the two layers where they recombine with
backlight light pattern. electrons (this place is the p/n junction). When
the electrons join the holes light is emitted.
How OLED Technology Works: Light color is dependent on the materials used
Early OLEDs had one layer of organic material in the organic or polymer layers.
between two electrodes. Modern OLEDs are bi-layer,

Fig 2: The figure is a simple modern OLED. There are a many new ways to construct the OLED using a variety of
layer configurations. Displays will have additional layers such as an active matrix TFT (thin film transistor) which
control pixel regions.

Types of OLEDs: compensate for this you need to use more voltage to
LEC (Electrochemical Cell): make them brighter. So while PMOLEDs are easy (and
In the scientific community, our liquid light cheap) to fabricate, they are not efficient and the OLED
concept is known as the Light-Emitting Electrochemical materials suffer from lower lifetime (due to the high
Cell (LEC). From a distance and a layman’s voltage needed). PMOLED displays are also restricted
perspective, this technology is very similar to the in resolution and size (the more lines you have, the
Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED), as both more voltage you have to use). PMOLED displays are
technologies use a flat planar structure in which the usually small (up to 3" typically) and are used to
light-emitting organic layer is sandwiched between two display character data or small icons: they are being
conductive electrodes.[4] used in wearable devices, small gadgets and sub
displays.
PMOLED (Passive-matrix OLED):
PMOLED stands for Passive-Matrix OLED, AMOLED (Active-matrix OLED):
which relates to the way you control (or drive) the There are two types of OLED displays -
display. A PMOLED display uses a simple control PMOLED and AMOLED. The difference is in the
scheme in which you control each row (or line) in the driving electronics - it can be either Passive Matrix
display sequentially (one at a time). PMOLED (PM) or Active Matrix (AM). An AMOLED (Active-
electronics do not contain a storage capacitor and so the Matrix OLED) is driven by a TFT which contains a
pixels in each line are actually off most of the time. To storage capacitor that maintains the line pixel states,
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and so enables large size (and large resolution) displays. OLED displays due to the longer life of the white
AMOLEDs can be made much larger than PMOLED OLEDs and the less chance of color shift.
and have no restriction on size or resolution. The term
AMOLED means Active-Matrix OLED. The 'active- The Differences between LED and OLED TVs
matrix' part refers to the driving electronics, or the TFT The differences between LED and OLED TVs
layer. When you display an image, you actually display include illumination methods, price points, and energy
it line by line (sequentially) as you can only change one efficiency levels. The list below documents these
line at a time. An AMOLED uses a TFT which contains differences.
a storage capacitor which maintains the line pixel states, 1. The main difference between an LED TV and
and so enables large size (and large resolution) displays. an OLED TV is that the pixels of an OLED
Used in displays, it has a switch built into it in the form TV are self illuminating, whereas the LEDs in
of a thin film transistor backplane. The transistor allows an LED TV are used to light an LCD display.
the unit to be switched on and off. [5] 2. LED TVs are currently less expensive than
OLED displays, though eventually experts
PLED (polymer LED): expect OLED TVs to drop significantly in
PLED is short for polymer, or polymeric, light- price.
emitting diode, a backlighting, illumination and display 3. OLED TVs feature a wider viewing angle
technology. Polymers are substances formed by a than do LED TVs. With OLED, the colors do
chemical reaction in which two or more molecules not get washed out when viewers watch from
combine to form larger molecules. PLEDs are thin film extreme angles.
displays that are created by sandwiching an undoped 4. OLED technology offers the ability to develop
conjugated polymer between two proper electrodes at a lighter and thinner displays than LED TVs do.
short distance. The polymer emits light when exposed 5. OLED TVs offer the deepest blacks of any
to electricity. PLEDs enable full-spectrum color type of flat-screen diode TV available.
displays and are relatively inexpensive compared to 6. OLED TVs have the ability to make a greater
other display technologies such as LCD or OLED and number of colors, though this advantage is
require little power to emit a substantial amount of miniscule when compared to the current level
light. PLED displays are great for hand held of HDTV technology, limiting the number of
instruments that will not be running all the time. Before colors that can be utilized.
designing in a PLED or OLED be aware the life span is 7. OLED TVs are more energy efficient when
from 8000 hr. to 2000 hrs. They are great for medical compared to their LED counterparts.
test instruments where the product is used and then
turned off. They have a 160 degree viewing angle; 1000 LED Advantages: [7]
times faster update speed that an LCD, in fact our 128 x 1. Energy efficient - LED’s are now capable of
128 Full Colors is capable of full motion video at 40 outputting 135 watt
frames per second. They achieve a brightness of 80 2. Long Lifetime - 50,000 hours or more if
cd/m2. They come in full color 65K and 256K. Most of properly engineered
the OLED Graphics are area color. [6] 3. Rugged - LED’s are also called “Solid State
Lighting (SSL) as they are made of solid
OLED TVs material with no filament or tube or bulb to
break
OLED TVs use organic material, in the form
4. No warm-up period - LED’s light instantly – in
of carbon, to provide a natural light source to light the
nanoseconds
display. This allows for OLED TV screens to be larger,
5. Not affected by cold temperatures - LED’s
lighter, and retain consistent color from even the widest
“like” low temperatures and will startup even
of viewing angles. The table below describes two types
in subzero weather
of OLED technology available: RGB and white OLED.
6. Directional - With LED’s you can direct the
light where you want it, thus no light is wasted
RGB OLED:
7. Excellent Color Rendering - LED’s do not
In an RGB OLED display, the red, green, and
wash out colors like other light sources such as
blue pixels are sandwiched together. When a current
fluorescents, making them perfect for displays
passes through the pixels, a white light is created. This
and retail applications
light, in turn, passes through a color filter dividing it
8. Environmentally friendly - LED’s contain no
into the respective variations of the colors of red, green,
mercury or other hazardous substances
and blue that forms the picture.
9. Controllable - LED’s can be controlled for
brightness and color
White OLED:
The light produced starts out as a white color.
LED Disadvantages: [7]
It then passes through the color filter, which in turn
1. LEDs are currently more expensive, price per
produces the colors seen on the screen. This type of
lumen, on an initial capital cost basis, than
OLED display is thought to be superior to the RGB
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more conventional lighting technologies. 2. The Chart Below compares different light
However, when considering the total cost of sources based upon the life of the bulb and the
ownership (including energy and maintenance electrical cost at 10 cents per kWh (kilowatt
costs), LEDs far surpass incandescent or hour). Note: fixture costs and installation costs
halogen sources and begin to threaten compact are not included.
fluorescent lamps.

Chart: Different light sources based upon the life of the bulb and the electrical cost at 10 cents
per kWh (kilowatt hour)

3. LED performance largely depends on correctly absorbs some light. OLEDs do not require
engineering the fixture to manage the heat glass.
generated by the LED, which causes 4. OLEDs do not require backlighting like LCDs.
deterioration of the LED chip itself. Over- LCDs work by selectively blocking areas of
driving the LED or not engineering the product the backlight to make the images that you sees,
to manage heat in high ambient temperatures while OLEDs generate light themselves.
may result in overheating of the LED package, Because OLEDs do not require backlighting,
eventually leading to device failure. Adequate they consume much less power than LCDs.
heat-sinking is required to maintain long life. This is especially important for battery-
The most common design of a heat sink is a operated devices such as cell phones.
metal device with many fins, which conducts 5. OLEDs are easier to produce and can be made
the heat away from the LED. to larger sizes. Because OLEDs are essentially
4. LEDs must be supplied with the correct plastics, they can be made into large, thin
voltage and current at a constant flow. This sheets. It is much more difficult to grow and
requires some electronics expertise to design lay down so many liquid crystals.
the electronic drivers. 6. OLEDs have large fields of view, about 170
5. LED’s can shift color due to age and degrees. Because LCDs work by blocking
temperature. Also two different white LED light, they have an inherent viewing obstacle
will have two different color characteristics, from certain angles. OLEDs produce their own
which affect how the light is perceived. light, so they have a much wider viewing
range.
OLED Advantages: [8]
1. The plastic, organic layers of an OLED are OLED Disadvantages: [9]
thinner, lighter and more flexible than the 1. Usually only with a lifespan of 5,000
crystalline layers in an LED. hours; 10,000 hours lower than LCD at
2. Because the light-emitting layers of an OLED least.
are lighter, the substrate of an OLED can be 2. Large quantity production of large-size
flexible instead of rigid. OLED substrates can screens is not available. It is therefore,
be plastic rather than the glass used for LEDs. only applied to those portable digital
3. OLEDs are brighter than LEDs. Because the products.
organic layers of an OLED are much thinner 3. Problems of color purity still remains: it is
than the corresponding inorganic crystal layers difficult to display fresh and rich colors.
of an LED, the conductive and emissive layers 4. Water can easily damage OLED.
of an OLED can be multi-layered. Also, LEDs 5. Sunlight Effect: Another disadvantage of
and LCDs require glass for support, and glass OLED display is that they are hard to see

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in direct sunlight. So if you have open
lobbies where sunlight reaches directly,
you will not get benefit of viewing these
screens.
6. Manufacturing - Manufacturing processes
are expensive right now.

Result and discussion:

Before purchasing an LED or OLED TV,
shoppers should know how both types of technology
work, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of
each option. This allows shoppers to make a more
informed decision when deciding which TV type to
select.

REFERENCES
1. Available from http://www.ebay.com/
2. Available from http://www.digitaltrends.com
3. Available from
http://www.edisontechcenter.org/LED.html
4. Available from http://lunalec.com/
5. Available from http://www.oled-info.com
6. Available from http://displays.stek-inc.com
7. Available from http://www.continental-
lighting.com/
8. Available from
http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/oled5.ht
m
9. Available from http://www.globalmarket.com

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