If silicon-based LEDs represent the state of the art in
lighting, OLEDs will be the next generation. The article gives
an overview on what is possible with this type of illumination.
Luminescent carpets and ceilings. Windows that provide bright
daylight even when it's dark outside. Glimmering luminescent
clothes. When designers and scientists start talking about
organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs), their imagination knows
no bounds. Indeed, the future holds in store infinite ways of
using OLEDs. But even today, these ultra-flat light sources have
already managed to raise light to a brand new level. So how are
they different from existing light sources? OLEDs are surface
light sources, rather than spotlights. Just a mere 1.8
millimeter thick, OLEDs diffuse a warm, pleasant and homogeneous
light over the entire surface. More precisely, OLEDs are
composed of ultra-thin layers of organic semiconductors and
color molecules, which are embedded between two layers of glass.
When a voltage is applied, the organic la