Then we validate it, manufacture it, and support it for the life of your program.
Custom OLED Displays at a Glance
What Is an OLED Display? How Organic Light Emitting Diode Technology Works
OLED stands for Organic Light Emitting Diode. OLED displays are self-illuminating: their pixels are made and its pixels are made of organic compounds that emit light when an electric current passes through them, which eliminates the need for backlighting components. Because fewer layers are needed, a custom OLED display gives your customers a thin, modern-looking product and gives your engineering team the flexibility to create diverse, adaptable form factors. OLED displays modules provide viewers with an immersive viewing experience with the highest contrast and the most vivid, and realistic colors.
Depending on what you need, OLED display modules could be much more preferable to LCD displays. To better understand OLED technology, let us give some insight on its alternative: LCD. OLED does not use a backlight to illuminate its images. Instead, OLED utilizes the organic compounds within its pixels to produce light all on their own, eliminating luminescence on dark areas of images. The final result leaves the viewer with an eye-popping and breathtaking impression of colors.
How an OLED Display Works, Step by Step
- Power is applied. The display driver sends current between the anode and cathode layers of each pixel.
- Charges meet in the organic layer. Electrons and holes recombine inside the emissive organic layer.
- Light is emitted. That recombination releases energy as visible light, so no backlight is required.
- Each pixel is controlled individually. Red, green, and blue subpixels vary in intensity to create full color, and they switch fully off to produce true black.
- Light exits through the cover glass. Optical bonding, touch sensors, and anti-reflective films can be added to the stack to improve readability and durability.
OLED is certainly the more dramatic of typical display technology, and its future is certainly bright (pun intended). The use of organic compounds to produce light means this technology has the potential to reengineer how displays are made or observed.
One of the most exciting developments in recent years is that this technology is starting to be used to create completely transparent OLED displays; A screen that resembles nothing more than a clear glass window can emit moving pictures from what looks like out of thin air!
OLED vs. LCD: Which Display Technology Is Right for Your Product?
Choosing between OLED and LCD comes down to your optical, environmental, power, and budget requirements. The table below summarizes the core differences. For a deeper look, read our OLED vs. LCD comparison.
| Feature | OLED Display | LCD (TFT) Display |
|---|---|---|
| Light source | Self-emissive pixels | Requires a backlight |
| Black levels and contrast | True black (pixels switch off); very high contrast | Backlight can lighten dark areas |
| Thickness and weight | Thinner and lighter, with fewer layers | Thicker due to the backlight unit |
| Form factors | Rigid, flexible, curved, and transparent options | Primarily rigid and flat |
| Viewing angle | Consistent color at wide angles (170° × 170°) | Contrast and color can shift off-axis |
| Power use | Lower, especially with dark content | Backlight draws power continuously |
| Upfront cost | Typically higher | Typically lower |
| Best fit | Wearables, handhelds, premium signage, transparent and curved designs | Cost-sensitive, high-brightness, and long-duty-cycle applications |
OLED is not always the right answer. If your program calls for maximum brightness in direct sunlight, long periods of static on-screen content, or the lowest possible unit cost, our custom TFT LCD displays or sunlight readable displays may be the better fit.
Our engineers recommend the technology that matches your requirements, so you never pay for a capability you don’t need.
Common Applications for Custom OLED Displays
Thanks to their thin profile, efficiency, and design freedom, custom OLED screens are used across a wide range of products and industries:
Benefits of Custom OLED Displays
Key benefits of custom OLED displays at a glance
Ultra-low power consumption, no backlight, thinner and lighter construction, flexible and curved form factors, true blacks with realistic color, 170° × 170° viewing angles, fast response times, and strong thermal performance when optically bonded.
Ultra Low Power Consumption
Custom OLED displays do not require a backlight, so battery power is not being drained on display lighting. Pixels draw power only when they are lit, which makes OLED especially efficient for interfaces with dark backgrounds. OLEDs deliver optimum battery life and reliable performance for extended use, so you're not limited by the potential of your display.
No Backlight Required
Backlit displays drain battery life and distort the true colors of the imagery. Custom OLED displays are self illuminating, so they do not require a backlight which greatly improves the display quality and battery life, and it removes a component that adds thickness and weight.
Flexible and Lighter than Traditional LCDs
Not all displays are on a level playing field. OLED displays do not require as many components as traditional LCDs, so they are some of the thinnest, lightest, and most portable displays on the market. OLED technology can create displays that mold and curve around any space to capture your audience where you need it most.
Real Colors
OLED makes images come alive. There is no backlight. Each pixel emits its own visible light; as a result, they can display deep black levels and true white colors. This creates unmatched contrast and color depth that for the most realistic and accurate viewing experience, one that showcases your ideas exactly how you imagined and created them.
Superior Viewing Angles
An OLED display can be seen by everyone, everywhere. Because light comes directly from each pixel instead of passing through a liquid crystal layer, OLEDs display the same high-quality image at an uninterrupted, symmetrical, 170° × 170° viewing angle.
Fast Response Time
OLED pixels switch on and off almost instantly, which reduces motion blur. That makes OLED well suited to aviation displays, simulators, gaming, and any interface where fast-moving content must stay sharp.
Extended Temperature Range
Heat dissipation is one of the keys to sustaining display performance in demanding environments. When an OLED module is optically bonded, the heat generated by the operation of the display is dissipated through the optical material and is not blocked by insulating air layers. By filling the insulating air gap between the components, heat can be transferred to the outside.
For programs that must operate in extreme heat or cold, our engineers combine thermal management with the same design practices behind our wide temperature displays.
OLED Considerations to Plan For
Honest guidance is part of good engineering. Planning for these factors early helps your custom OLED display perform for years:
- Static content: Images left on screen for long periods can cause image retention. UI design choices such as screen dimming or periodic content shifts reduce the risk.
- Direct sunlight: Anti-reflective film and optical bonding improve outdoor readability. For very bright environments, a sunlight-readable LCD may be the better choice.
- Thermal and signal integrity: Outdoor and industrial installations need planned heat management and clean signal routing.
- Cost: OLED usually carries a higher upfront cost than LCD, which is often offset by power savings and design flexibility.
How Our Custom OLED Display Design Process Works
Our structured process moves your custom OLED display from concept to production with fewer surprises. Detailed checklists, design guidelines, and progress reviews guide every stage.
- Identify your requirements. Share your size, interface, touch, optical, environmental, and volume needs. There’s no commitment to get started.
- Design the display stack. Our engineers create CAD drawings, define specifications, and build the bill of materials through our custom display design services.
- Develop and prototype. We provide proof-of-concept kits, samples, or development prototype kits. You review the prototype before production begins.
- Enhance and integrate. We add optical bonding, touch, EMI shielding, film lamination, and controller integration as your application requires.
- Validate. Qualification, reliability, environmental, and optical adhesive testing confirm the design. Root cause and teardown analysis are available when needed.
- Manufacture and support. Assemblies are built in our cleanroom, factory tested, and checked with zero pixel inspection before delivery. We then support them for the life of your program.
Why Choose E3 Displays as Your OLED Display Manufacturer
Many OLED display suppliers sell standard catalog modules and leave integration to you. E3 Displays is a custom OLED manufacturer and integrator: we engineer the complete display assembly around your product and stay with you from prototype through end of life.
- Proven experience: E3 has provided display integration expertise since 2001, and E3 Displays LLC was founded in Phoenix, Arizona, in 2007. Our engineering team brings more than 20 years of experience. Read our company history and leadership.
- In-house manufacturing: a 20,000-square-foot facility with a Class 10K cleanroom, UV cure conveyors, autoclave, vacuum chamber, and thermal and humidity chambers.
- Certified quality: ISO 9001:2015 certified, ISO 13485 compliant, and ITAR registered, with MIL-STD-810, MIL-STD-461, and DO-160 capability. Products meet RoHS, REACH, and conflict minerals requirements; review our certifications and compliance standards.
- Proven at volume: E3 has supplied 50,000 integrated, optically bonded displays to a U.S. military supplier and shipped more than 20,000 custom display and touch assemblies for ventilators in 2020–21.
- Flexible production: direct relationships with panel manufacturers, support for small and large production runs, and bonded or vendor-managed inventory options.
- Lifecycle commitment: component lifecycle management and redesign of obsolete displays keep your product in production. Discover what makes E3 Displays unique.
Start Your Custom OLED Display Project
Tell us about your program, and our engineers will help you build custom OLED displays and screens that fit your product, your environment, and your timeline. Call +602-288-9758 or use the contact form above to speak with a custom OLED manufacturer you can rely on.
Our Experienced Team is Ready to Help
Our E3 Displays team has expertise in every type of display technology, whether big or small. We will help you choose or design the display that best fits your needs, while always keeping quality and budget in mind. Here at E3 Displays, we specialize in custom displays use our product selection guide today to get started on your project today!