The white-light based bulb, which took three years to make, is as technologically advanced as those made in Europe, Japan and the United States, and effectively reduces the technological gap that existed in this field, a researcher said.
The researcher said that with the latest development, South Korea has in effect nullified the five year gap and will be able to compete evenly with other countries in the development of a commercial light source based on OLED technology.
The new OLED can emit light from flat surfaces, has high energy efficiency that can help reduce greenhouse gas emissions, and are more eco-friendly since they do not use mercury in the manufacturing process like incandescent and fluorescent bulbs.
The OLED sources have longer operating lives, although they may cost more to produce.
There are currently no commercial OLEDs in production, but they are expected to make an appearance in late 2010 with full scale production to begin around 2015 when they may start to replace conventional light sources, the expert said.
OLED have the same light qualities to ordinary light bulbs and will likely be used as in-door light at homes, shops, and factories. The light emitting diodes that are already in the market are more suitable for outdoor light use because they are more powerful.
ETRI said that the new development is important because South Korea can now position itself to grab a part of huge global lighting market.
ETRI said that because the infrastructure of OLED lights and OLED displays are the similar, it may be easy for local companies to secure a sizable share of the future lighting market down the road. South Korea is currently the largest producer of OLED displays in the world.
