Displays or screens are used in smartphones, televisions, videogame consoles and computers. They play a pivotal role in the way we see and interact during work and play. There are a host of different technologies, from OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) to Active Matrix OLED and more. Below is the essential role that silver plays in all these devices.

The Advent of AMOLED Tech

While LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) is currently the most popular and affordable display technology, many industry insiders recognize the advantages of AMOLED. It has a broader color range, high operating temperatures and rapid response time. Despite these benefits, LCD still has a longer service life with more affordable production costs.

The active matrix aspect of AMOLED is designed to address the issue of pixels. Light will be generated after electric activation which is integrated or deposited on a TFT (thin film transistor) array that acts as a collection of switches which can control the flow of current for every pixel. Compared to other display technologies, AMOELD offers higher refresh rates when compared to a passive matrix, and manifests response times which are beneath a millisecond, while consuming substantially less power. This makes them ideal for portable electronics, which often depend on batteries.

In order for AMOLED to be fully commercialized, the right materials must be used in its development. For instance, it requires anode materials that have a higher level of adhesion and it also requires superb reflecting materials so that light can be directed to the device’s rear side. Finally, the proper emitters will be needed to retain elevated intensity. While there are a number of materials that meet some of these criteria, such as copper, chromium, gold and titanium, it is silver that leads the pack.

Why Silver Is The Material of Choice for Displays

Silver has a number of key advantages, the first of which is extremely high emitter intensity and reflectance. Experiments undertaken using silver found that it also offers lower power consumption for electronic devices which are battery powered. Though OLED displays are still quite new as of this writing, researchers have been aware of silver’s properties for quite some time. To obtain material properties which are consistent, there are specific production capabilities and deposition technologies that are sought after. Sputtering and evaporative processes must be utilized to obtain desirable anode properties.

How The Quality of Silver Influences Performance

Silver offers the greatest electric conductivity of any Periodic Table element. It can be applied in places such as relays, contacts, switches and solders, both in handheld and sizeable appliances. Most displays today are touch sensitive, which is due to the flattened membrane switch that is present behind its panel.

This membrane is constructed using silver paste, which can also be found in multilayer ceramic capacitors and solar cells. Plasma televisions incorporate silver electrodes in order to produce superior images. Irrespective of the electronic or optical market, those that wish to produce dependable end product must use silver which has a purity level of 99.999 percent. This will result in higher yields with reduced downtime.