Posted on 03/30/2006 11:12:09 AM PST by Panerai
If you’ve seen the movie “Minority Report” and marveled at the transparent computer screens used by Tom Cruise, you’ll appreciate what German researchers have concocted in their labs: entirely transparent OLED (organic light emitting diode) pixels.
The researchers, located at the Technical University of Braunschweig, are claiming the development to be a world’s first.
Their approach is to use transparent TFTs (thin-film transistors) made of a 100-nanometer-thick layer of zinc-tin-oxide, which transmits more than 90 percent of visible light. Such transistors are more often made of silicon, which is used for LCDs (liquid crystal displays) but is highly absorptive in the visible part of the spectrum.
In the transparent displays, the TFTs and the OLED pixels are positioned next to each other. The OLED pixel can be placed on top of the TFT driver circuit without interference.
In addition, because the TFT layers are thin, they can be deposited on large areas with conventional techniques, and because these techniques can be performed at temperatures below 200 degrees Celsius, cheap, flexible plastic substrates can be used.
In the devices developed by the researchers, the brightness of the OLED pixels varied from 0 to 700 candelas per square meter by changing the voltage of the driving TFTs. By comparison, typical computer screens today reach a brightness of approximately 300 candelas per square meter.
Thomas Riedl, head of the organic and inorganic lasers team of the High-Frequency Institute at the Technical University of Braunschweig expects the first prototype transparent OLED displays to be available in two years.
(Excerpt) Read more at macworld.com ...
Oh, great! Now that I've got a Flat screen display they come up with this! ........
Wasn't there an old Star Trek episode where Kirk and Spock were transported deep into a planet and inside the room where square self-contained "lighting fixtures"?
I wonder if something like that is possible with the output of these devices.
That particular aplication is probably not all that practical, but cheap LEDs could potentially revolutionize the indoor lighting market - current LED fixtures are amazingly energy-efficient.
I'm looking forward to purchasing a 60" flat panel display for under $1,000.
OK, but what about the wires to the TFTs and OLEDs?
TOM: "Look! The MEST is colliding with the thetan which results in the acquisition of the engram!
ACTOR 1: "What? That's not in the script!"
TOM: "As a result of the build up of thousands of known and unknown engrams man seems to experience problems througout his life!"
ACTOR 2: "Oh no! Not this scientology crap again! Yesterday in the mens room Cruise dropped his pants and asked me to grab his E-meter! This guy is totally gay!"
ACTOR 1: "Yep, gay as gay gets!"
STEVEN SPEILBERG (OFF CAMERA): "OK Tom, I've had enough! It's time you came out of the closet! Come on out of the closet Tom so we can finish the movie! Out of the closet Tom. C'mon...."
Really, this is a good idea. LEDs are already used in traffic signals and other applications because they almost never burn out, are bright, and energy-efficient. What is the hold-up for indoor lighting? Consumer cost ? Anyone know?
When you turn it off it turns back to wallpaper. When you get sick of the wallpaper, you change it. And lets not even think about the prank potential (make someone sea sick in their living room by making the wallpaper move around, OK I've been thinking about it).
I like the simple kind:
Schmear it all on some toasted pumpernickel and serve with your favorite German beer.
Thanks for the laugh :))
I know one of the major hurdles is that they can't get LEDs to emit a pure "white" light. A non-colored LED still has a serious blue tinge to it.
You can buy LED lighting in strips.
Kind of expensive still.
Squick squick squick...
Too much Hunter Thompson before bedtime....
Every light is a little off, some more then others. The sun isn't 'pure' white (unless you choose to define pure white as such).
How will my new German OLED monitor look when I spit-take coffee all over it? 8^)
Your LED wallpaper idea is a good one.
Take it a step further - you wouldn't need a TV or computer screen anymore - just tell your device on what part of the wall you want to watch TV or surf the net and your wall (or ceiling) becomes your display.
Could also put them over windows allowing you to tint the incoming light to any color - maybe even selectively block light.
Also, any room could become sort of a virtual display - you could go anywhere in the world.
You could merge your room with someone else via the web and have a virtual live conversation.
Or how about cars that could change color - or advertising on the sides of semi trailers that can dynamically change based on time of day and location?
Even better, it might be possible to make objects partially invisible if you could somehow interface small cameras throughout the sheet then project the image onto the "back" of the object. You could make things like cell towers or water towers less intrusive, or have invisible fences around your property.
Or how about virtual windows in windowless offices, or virtual viewports on airplanes?
Just right for lunch!
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