[IFA 2015] Directions for LG Electronics’ OLED TV?

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During the media day event for IFA 2015 (September 4 – 9), LG Electronics introduced diverse products centering around OLED TV such as LCD TV, G4, and G Watch Urbane.

 

LG Electronics clearly confirmed that the ultimate TV for the company is OLED TV. At the company booth under the title of the Evolution of TV, LG Electronics revealed that the TV’s final destination is OLED TV.

 

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LG Electronics, IFA 2015

 

At this exhibition, the OLED TV presentation theme returned to the flat design from HDT’s emphasis on black and previous curved design. Until now, curved design focused OLED TV were exhibited, but with the spotlight on flat design in IFA 2015, LG Electronics strongly hinted that future LG OLED TV will switch to flat products.

 

Competitors greatly improved contrast ratio through application of LCD TV and HDR. LCD’s basic contrast ratio is approximately 1,000:1, and in premium products currently being mass produced it has improved to 3,000:1. However, as OLED TV does not use backlight, the minimum contrast ratio is 100,000:1 with maximum of infinite contrast ratio. Through IFA 2015 LG Electronics is planning to actively release HDR technology applied products. In order to achieve this, the company will demonstrate HDR transmission with broadcasting companies such as BBC and publicize OLED TV’s black and white’s superiority over LCD TV.

 

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LG Electronics, IFA 2015

 

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LG Electronics, IFA 2015

 

 

 

LG Electronics provided ‘perfect color’, ‘perfect black’, and ‘perfect angle’ as the superior characteristics of OLED TV. These advantages are inherent characteristics that LG’s WRGB OLED TV can provide that show excellence over LCD TV in any environment.

 

However, the OLED TV presented in this exhibition did not show much improvement from one in IFA 2014, leading to disappointment. It is a point of concern whether WRGB OLED TV has already reached its limitation.

Attention Focused on Silver Nanowire as Key Material for Display

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At IPEC 2015 (International Printed Electronic Conference), held on September 1, Professor Sang-Ho Kim of Kongju National University announced that silver nanowire technology is in initial stages of commercialization and will become display market’s key material.

 

Kim reported that when the bending radius of flexible display is reduced, 2 key issues occur with silver nanowire used as TSP (touch screen panel) material. First, the wiring that are crossed when bending is loosened as can be seen in figure 1. Due to this effect the bending stability decreases.

Fig. 1, Source: Professor Sang-Ho Kim, IPEC 2015

Fig. 1, Source: Professor Sang-Ho Kim, IPEC 2015

 

 

Kim explained that this effect can be solved by welding the two wires as shown in figure 2 using thermal annealing technology, laser process, and IPL photo-sintering technology.

 

Fig 2, Source: Professor Sang-Ho Kim, IPEC 2015

Fig 2, Source: Professor Sang-Ho Kim, IPEC 2015

 

 

Another issue is a decrease in contact stability between nanowires at stress points when bending radius is reduced as shown in figure 3.

 

Fig 3, Source: Professor Sang-Ho Kim, IPEC 2015

Fig 3, Source: Professor Sang-Ho Kim, IPEC 2015

 

 

During the presentation, Kim explained that this can be solved through undercoating process. This process involves mixing 2 polymers with different Tg (glass-transition temperature) and layering it as in figure 4, and placing TSP on top.

 

Fig 4, Source: Professor Sang-Ho Kim, IPEC 2015

Fig 4, Source: Professor Sang-Ho Kim, IPEC 2015

 

 

Silver nanowire has benefit of being more flexible and less resistant compared to transparent electrode material, ITO. As such, it was spotlighted as TSP material most suitable for flexible OLED. Nonetheless, silver nanowire has been considered to fall behind ITO in panel mass production unit cost in display market.

 

However, haze effect which happens when sunlight is reflected off the silver nanowire TSP has been solved recently, and new touch technology that requires improved TSP functions, such as post-touch technology, has been developed. Accordingly, products that use silver nanowire are increasing despite the unit cost difference.

 

Kim reported that as TSP sheet resistance can be reduced through undercoating and welding technology and greatly increase bending stability, it is estimated that silver nanowire’s marketability will grow for flexible display.

 

[IMID 2015] UDC Develops OLED Patterning Technology with Less Masks

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At present, FMM (Fine Metal Mask) is considered the main method for large area RGB OLED panel production. However, due to shadow effect, mask total pitch fluctuations, and mask slit tolerance issues, there is a yield limitation to this technology. This limitation increases as the resolution becomes higher; minimizing the number of FMM during the OLED panel production has been a key issue in RGB OLED production.

 

In SID 2014, through a paper titled “Novel Two Mask AMOLED Display Architecture”, UDC revealed a technology that can reduce the number of masks used in RGB-FMM method to 2 from previous 3.

 

Source: UDC, SID 2014

Source: UDC, SID 2014

 

As shown above, this technology coats yellow and blue subpixels using 1 mask each. Following this process, green and red color filters are applied above the subpixels. Pixels are formed as illustrated below.

 

Source : UDC, SID 2014

Source : UDC, SID 2014

 

UDC explained that this technology improves lifetime of the display overall and reduces energy consumption as blue voltage can be lowered. Additionally, tact time can be reduced through this technology, and increase the yield.

 

In IMID 2015, UDC presented research of the same title. However, the content of the presentation unveiled more developed research compared to 2014. First of all, in 2014, UDC announced that the panel’s lifetime could be improved by 2 times compared to the RGB method. In IMID 2015, UDC’s announcement changed the figure to 3.3 times increased lifetime.

 

UDC also revealed that the technology can be actualized through printing method, and has the advantage of being able to print 2 rows of pixels at once. UDC announced that this is most suitable when OVJP (Organic Vapor Jet Printing) applies the printing method.

 

A new technology called SPR (Sub-Pixel Rendering) was also announced by UDC in this paper. The 2014 SID paper included a method that did not uses SPR. As shown below in figure 1, 4 subpixels of RGY and B are used per pixel.

 

[Fig. 1], Source: UDC, IMID 2015

[Fig. 1], Source: UDC, IMID 2015

During IMID 2015, UDC presented APR technology applied pixel structure. Figure 2 shows 3 subpixels per pixel.

 

[Fig. 2], Source: UDC, IMID 2015

[Fig. 2], Source: UDC, IMID 2015

In this case, as the pixels can be arranged as shown in figure 3, smaller number of subpixels can be used.

 

[Fig. 3], Source: UDC, IMID 2015

[Fig. 3], Source: UDC, IMID 2015

UDC announced that because APR technology allows the number of subpixels per pixel to be reduced to 3 or less, the number of data lines and TFT per pixel can also be reduced together.

 

UDC explained that this technology can be applied regardless of the display area or resolution, and will be able to be applied to different types of panels.

 

AUO Unveils New AMOLED Panels in Touch Taiwan 2015

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On August 24, AUO announced a lineup of mobile device displays and technologies for Touch Taiwan 2015 (August 26-28).

 

According to AUO, the lineup includes slim, light and power-saving displays for wearable devices, UHD 4K displays for smartphone and notebook PC, oTP-Lite (on-cell touch panel) supporting professional graphic stylus, in-cell touch panels, and a complete series of ultra-high resolution car displays.

 

Out of AUO’s releases for Touch Taiwan 2015, two are of interest for OLED experts. AUO’s ultra-thin AMOLED display panels are one. These 1.5 and 1.6inch square AMOLED displays reduced the panel thickness to 0.45mm using the glass thinning method. AUO’s 1.4inch full circle AMOLED display which was unveiled earlier this year in SID 2015 will also be presented.

 

A 5inch bendable AMOLED prototype that will be shown at the exhibition is another. This plastic substrate applied display integrates a sensor. AUO explains that this sensor allows users to bend the panel intuitively to manipulate the size and direction of the display active area. Until now, other panel companies presented flexible or foldable AMOLED displays only in exhibitions. There is much interest in how AUO’s bendable AMOLED prototype works and differentiated.

 

 

Hyundai Motors's Munhyun Kim, IMID 2015

[IMID 2015] Hyundai Motors, “OLED Application of Automotive Display, Soon to be a Reality”

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On 19 August at IMID 2015 (August 18 – 21), a keynote speaker Munhyun Kim of Hyundai Motors forecast that automotive display market will become more active, digitalized, and simplified. Kim categorized automotive display applied sectors into 4: cluster, HUD (head-up display) and CID (central information display), and RSE (rear seat entertainment).

 

Kim revealed that technological trends of cluster are full color, high resolution, and customizability, particularly it can be customized to suit the user through diverse modes. Full color, high resolution, and AR (augmented reality) are the main trends for HUD. Distance guide, direction guide, and lane guide were suggested as examples of AR. CID’s main technological trends are integrated display and insertion of diverse functions. OLED applied CID is being researched. Enlargement, individuality, and mobility were mentioned as technological trends of RSE.

 

Kim revealed that compared to automotive market which records 3-6% of growth each year, cluster and CID are forecast to grow by 10% a year. He added that although the weight of automotive LCD within the total LCD market is slight, the automotive OLED’s importance is forecast to grow to record 30% or over in 2017.

 

In the past, 4inch or larger display were mainly installed in vehicles, but it is estimated that small display of less than 4inch will be increasingly introduced. Kim also added that he expects automotive display in diverse shapes and forms will be applied in future.

 

In CES 2015, Hyundai Motors exhibited AR grafted HUD, 3D-gesture control technology, wearable devices connected to the vehicle, next generation infortainment technology, and ADAS (advanced driver assistance systems).

 

Kim expected the OLED display application will actively occur in the order of cluster, HUD, CID, and entertainment display. He also evaluated OLED panel that can easily actualize flexibility higher than LCD panel.

 

Hyundai Motors's Munhyun Kim, IMID 2015

[IMID 2015] LG Display Reveals Detailed OLED Plans

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During the keynote session of IMID 2015 (August 18 – 21), LG Display’s Sang Deog Yeo, the head of OLED division revealed LG Display’s intention to change the world with OLED together with everyone and strength in OLED industry expansion. Yeo explained that the most important factor in the success of large area OLED is strong conviction in OLED’s success and courage; he also announced further investment for OLED as future growth stimulus.

 

Yeo reported that TV’s first revolution was a change from black and white TV to color. The second revolution was the appearance of flat panel display and that the third revolution will be OLED. He explained that the key factors in TV panels are design and picture quality. He evaluated that these factors are advancing separately in other display while OLED is improving these issues together.

 

Explaining in more detail, Yeo reported that OLED has high design freedom as OLED structure is simple, a self-emitting light without BLU. Additionally, each pixel of OLED can operate independently and actualize true black, leading to differentiated picture quality.

 

In the beginning, LG Display struggled in applying WRGB technology and oxide TFT to OLED TV, which resulted in almost 0% of yield. Even within the company, there were opinions that oxide TFT application to Gen8 panel or larger will be almost impossible. However, the effort including introduction of external compensation circuit and coplanar structure, and compensation algorithm application to brightness and color brought LG Display’s current success of OLED TV mass production.

 

Yeo announced that much like how LG Display solved OLED TV’s technological problems of the past, they will improve the oxide TFT mobility to 50. He also revealed that LG Display is searching for a method of applying top-emission technology to mass production in order to improve transparent and flexible OLED technology, and researching light shutter technology and improved plastic substrate application technology.

 

LG Display recently announced their decision to invest approximately US$ 9,300 million centering around OLED. During the keynote session, Yeo reported that LG Display will increase the large area OLED panel’s production rate through investment, specifically from current 600 thousand units to 2 million units in 2017. He also announced that they will expand Gumi Gen6 line which will be used to increase production rate of small to medium-sized OLED panels and plastic OLED panels.

 

Although there has been speculation regarding this investment, through this keynote speech, it can be forecast the investment will be used in specific roadmap of large and small to medium-sized OLED. For the progress of OLED industry, which is growth stimulus of the future, Yeo emphasized the need for closer cooperation between materials, components, manufacturing equipment, and set companies, and laboratories and universities.

LG Display’s Sang Deog Yeo, IMID 2015

LG Display’s Sang Deog Yeo, IMID 2015

Samsung Electronics Unveils Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus

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On August 13 (local time), Samsung Electronics unveiled Galaxy Note5 and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus in Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in New York, US. JK Shin, president and CEO of Samsung Electronics presented the new products. Shin emphasized that Galaxy Note5 is focused on practicality and Galaxy S6 Edge Plus on design.

 

Galaxy Note 5 has 5.7inch QHD (2560X1440) AMOLED panel with Exynos 7422 processor and 4GB of RAM. With a curved back, it is easier to hold in hand. The thickness was reduced to 7.6mm from Galaxy Note4’s 8.5mm. Another new feature is having the S Pen popping out like a spring, and improved writing function. Additionally, even when the screen is off, memo app can be turned on by removing the S Pen.

 

Galaxy S6 Edge Plus has curved sides to its display, much like Galaxy S6 Edge. The size increased to 5.7inch, 0.6inch larger than Galaxy S6 Edge’s 5.1inch. With the resolution of 2560X1440, Galaxy S6 Edge Plus generally shares same specs as Galaxy Note5.

 

As both products utilize Samsung Pay and wireless charging, it is analyzed that these features will continue to be applied to future products.

 

Samsung Electronics have been unveiling new releases of Galaxy Note series at IFA held in September each year. However, they moved up the release by approximately 1 month, and chose Lincoln Center, in New York, US, Apple’s playground, showing active response against iPhone 6S which will be released in 1 month.

 

Gear A, although anticipated to be revealed during this event, was not presented. It is now more likely that it will be shown in IFA next month.

 

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How Can Small and Medium-Sized OLED Panel Companies Survive?

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With the great increase of interest in flexible OLED from China and Taiwan’s small and medium-sized panel companies, diverse issues related to this are emerging.

 

Recent smartphone trend is moving from high resolution and specs toward diverse designs such as curved or bendable/foldable and flexible display that can differentiate applications. AMOLED flexible display is currently being applied to smartphone and smartwatch. However, only 2 companies, Samsung Display and LG Display, are supplying these high spec flexible AMOLED panel.

 

Small and medium-sized panel companies do not have the technology to mass produce high performance flexible AMOLED panel and cannot invest in mass production. For these reasons, Chinese and Taiwanese small and medium-sized companies are aiming for finding new applications where flexible PMOLED or low resolution flexible AMOLED can be applied and make mass production investment. Accordingly, set companies’ interest in flexible OLED applied application is also increasing.

 

Additionally, companies are in agreement that yield of flexible PMOLED that is applied to some smartbands does not meet demand. Taiwan’s wisechip and RiTdisplay, key PMOLED companies, are concentrating on developing flexible PMOLED and flexible OLED lighting. Taiwan’s AUO and Innolux, and China’s Visionox and EDO are also among those that are developing wearable flexible AMOLED.

 

Diverse application development where lower resolution flexible AMOLED, flexible PMOLED, or flexible OLED lighting, instead of expensive high-end smartphone and smartwatch, can be applied is essential. The outcome of this is forecast to greatly affect the growth of small and medium-sized OLED panel companies.

HUD and HMD Meet Virtual Reality and Soar

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At SID 2015 Review Workshop held in Konkuk University on July 31, Inha University’s Associate Professor Jae-Hyeung Park announced that interest in HUD (head-up display) and HMD (head-mounted display) increased at SID 2015.

 

HUD signifies technology that provides diverse information for the driver beyond the role of a front glass that simply allows the outside to be viewed and provides protection. Through HUD, drivers can grasp vehicular and destination information without having to take eyes off the road. At this juncture, AR (augmented reality) HUD is more than a simple display as it recognize the user’s movements and applies it to the display.

 

In SID 2015 paper, Japan’s Ricoh termed the device that self-intervenes in the vehicular operation as ADAS (Advanced Driving Assistance System) and announced that the information from the device applied to HUD will be able to help the user’s recognition and decision making. It was also added that improved AR can be realized when the contrast range is increased to be equal to reality and reiterated and the distance from the virtual image is 5m.

 

HMD, as a head-mounted device, provides differentiated feelings of immersion compared to other displays. Due to the increased realism from the wide viewing angle, HMD was widely used as an entertainment display, but with the recent increased interest in AR, it is receiving much spotlight as an AR display device.

 

At SID 2015, the West Saxon University of Applied Sciences of Zwickau revealed an HMD device that actualizes AR naturally by changing the distance where image is shown according to the use by adjusting the focal distance. Zhejiang University’s college of Optical Science and Engineering used method of showing hologram to each user’s eyes using the light field concept that realizes the light strength to all directions from all points in 3D and produced improved AR.

 

Park explained that with SID 2015 as a starting point, the AR related HMD and HUD interest and research will increases greatly and that the trend will continue in future.

 

Samsung Electronics released HMD device Samsung Gear VR that can be used by plugging in to Galaxy S6 or Galaxy S6 Edge. Oculus VR and Sony Computer Entertainment each revealed OLED applied VR headset Oculus Rift and Project Morpheus, and scheduled release regular product in Q1 and H1 of 2016 respectively. Korea’s HLB released AproVIEW S2 which used virtual image distance actualization method, a first for HUD.

 

 

Inha University’s Associate Professor Jae-Hyeung Park at SID 2015 Review Workshop

Inha University’s Associate Professor Jae-Hyeung Park at SID 2015 Review Workshop

Encapsulation Technology That Can Greatly Increase OLED Lifetime Unveiled

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On July 29, at Chungcheong Display Forum held in Hoseo University in South Korea, an encapsulation technology that can greatly increase OLED lifetime was revealed.

 

Encapsulation technology prevents permeation of oxygen and moisture from affecting OLED panel’s performance and increases lifetime. As it is also the last process that decides OLED panel yield, OLED panel manufacturing companies are focused on finding the most optimal encapsulation technology.

 

The flexible OLED panel that is currently being mass produced uses hybrid structure of encapsulation where gas barrier cover plate is applied to the organic and inorganic stacks of passivation.

 

During this process, because cover plate with gas barrier characteristics is the key factor in deciding encapsulation performance the materials and technology are very important. The level of encapsulation that OLED panel requires is approximately 10-6g/m2day. The unit signifies the amount of permeation for 1m2 area a day. This amount is same as 1 drop of water in an area size of 6 World Cup stadiums.

 

Generally sputtering technology is used to form gas barrier layer. Sputtering technology is an evaporation technique where ions of the target material is coated to the substrate as noble gas, ionized via high voltage, collides against coating material.

 

This type of sputtering technology creates particles and defects during process. As such, in order to be applied to OLED, multilayer is required leading to a decrease in productivity and increase in production cost.

 

However, at the Chungcheong Display Forum, Professor MunPyo Hong of Korea University, revealed that defect that occurs during the existing sputtering process can be reduced by stabilizing target layer through installing reflector which induces neutral beam to be released.

 

According to Hong, this technology is sufficient to achieve the OLED level encapsulation standard of 10-6g/m2day even using a single layer. He revealed that this technology will be able to reduce the production cost and increase the productivity.

 

(a)(a)Device Immediately After Production (b) Device with Insufficient Encapsulation with Insufficient Encapsulation (dark spot and pixel shrinkage occurs after certain amount of time) Source: UBI Research

(a) Device Immediately After Production (b) Device with Insufficient Encapsulation with Insufficient Encapsulation
(dark spot and pixel shrinkage occurs after certain amount of time)
Source: UBI Research