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Poly-OLED. Add this new acronym to your technophile lexicon. It's short for "polymer organic light emitting diode," a type of display technology developed by Wilmington, Delaware–based RiTEK Display Technology Company, the beneficiary of a recent investment by DuPont Displays, a unit of DuPont iTechnologies of the DuPont chemical conglomerate. Poly-OLED is said to be considerably better than the traditional liquid crystal display (LCD) because of its greater brightness, better contrast, and lower manufacturing costs.

On May 2, DuPont Displays announced a major investment in RiTEK, to include the construction of a plant in Hsinchu, Taiwan that will eventually crank out as many as 35,000 Poly-OLED screens per month. The first screens will be small, approximately 370 mm x 470 mm, suitable for use in handheld devices and pocket-sized computers. The announcement, however, alluded to improvements for devices as rarefied as high-definition television sets, a market segment almost totally dominated by cathode ray tubes (CRTs) in direct-view monitors and in rear and front projectors.

Lowered manufacturing costs—and therefore, lowered retail prices—for HDTVs will speed acceptance of the format by the viewing public. "Poly-OLED technology offers much more than just brightness and contrast," commented Dalen Keys, chief technology officer for DuPont Displays. "We are excited by the dramatic simplification in the manufacturing process, leading to high performance, cost-effective display solutions. The thin profile and high-power efficiency make these displays easy design solutions. Their striking appearance will help many OEMs differentiate their products."

Although the first generation of Poly-OLED panels will be monochromatic, DuPont "is rapidly developing an array of related technologies, including area-color, full-color, active matrix, and plastic (flexible) substrate displays that can provide the same bright, high-contrast performance in a durable, flexible format by using a plastic substrate," the announcement stated. DuPont has been actively researching Poly-OLEDs for about three years, an effort which was boosted by last year's acquisition of Santa Barbara, CA–based UNIAX, a leader in the field.

The RiTEK agreement is an extension of the program, according to DuPont Displays CEO Chet Pribonic. "DuPont Displays' investment in RiTEK Display and their commitment to build a manufacturing plant for us is a critical step in our ongoing strategy to commercialize this revolutionary Poly-OLED technology," Pribonic stated. "Our focus has been to be a catalyst in the creation of a new value chain for Poly-OLED display modules, in order to meet equipment manufacturers' demand for commercial OLED display products for use in everything from cell phones and handheld devices to automotive displays and beyond." The new plant will be "the first sophisticated, fully-automatic Poly-OLED mass production line in the world," said Ritek's CEO Dr. D.C. Wang.