Organic vs. Inorganic Materials: Key Differences

This page compares organic and inorganic materials, highlighting their differences, advantages, disadvantages, and providing examples, including LEDs.

Introduction

Organic materials are characterized by the presence of carbon atoms, whereas inorganic materials generally do not contain carbon atoms. Organic compounds often contain carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and their derivatives. Inorganic compounds, on the other hand, usually lack oxygen or hydrogen and their derivatives.

Organic Material

Chemical compounds containing carbon are classified as organic materials. These materials find use in lighting and display industries. Examples of organic materials include wood, feathers, leather, and synthetic materials.

Examples of organic material-based LEDs include:

• OLED (Organic Electroluminescent Diode)
• AMOLED (Active Matrix OLED)
• Super AMOLED

Figure 1: Example of an organic material-based LED.

The figure above shows an example of an organic material-based LED, illustrating the different layers used in its construction. These LEDs can be fabricated on glass, silicon, or plastic. Matrix displays are readily fabricated. Refer to the advantages and disadvantages of OLEDs and AMOLEDs for more information.

Inorganic Material

Inorganic materials are defined as a group of chemicals that generally do not contain carbon (C) elements. Examples of such materials include ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, metals, glass, and ceramics. They are typically derived from non-living sources, such as rocks and minerals.

An example of an inorganic material-based LED is the micro LED, which uses GaN. GaN is self-emitting and does not require a backlight for operation. Refer to the advantages and disadvantages of Micro LEDs.

Figure 2: Example of an inorganic material-based LED.

The figure above shows an example of an inorganic material-based LED, illustrating the different layers used in its construction. These LEDs often require specific and expensive substrates. High-resolution, surface-emitting devices are not yet commercially widely available, and matrix-addressed LEDs are not commercially demonstrated.

Inorganic LEDs are developed using crystalline semiconductors. The optical emission wavelength is selected by varying the material composition. Examples of active regions include germanium, gallium nitride, gallium arsenide, and Indium Phosphide.

Inorganic LEDs are rapidly replacing conventional incandescent light bulbs due to their very low power consumption.

Difference between Organic and Inorganic Materials

The following table highlights the key differences between organic and inorganic materials: