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What is the Next Key Technology in OLED Display?

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There is a breath of fresh air of paradigm shift within small-mid size display. Traditional display is turned on by the user’s actions as needed. But, technology, which is able to check information at any time, has been developed and is being applied to the actual product.

LG Display is mass producing world’s first plastic circular OLED. LG Display’s plastic circular OLED panel displays screen in the same resolution without power supply of power management chip via PSM (Power Save Mode). Through this, the panel is turned on for 24 hours a day with only 10~20% of power compared to typical driving mode. PSM is evaluated as innovative circuit design and was applied to G Watch R last year.

A similar function is applied to several other smart phones. Galaxy Note Edge and Galaxy S6 Edge have screen function, ‘Night Watch’. Once the time is set, information such as time, date, weather is displayed on edge screen during that time, Through this, the user can check displayed information at anytime for a period.

Yotadevices, a Russian venture company, announced the second version of Yotaphone2 on 13 May. On the front side of Yotaphone 2 is 5.0 inch AMOLED display, and on the back side is a black and white display with electronic ink (E-ink), so the user can use both sides of the smartphone. The back side of Yotaphone2 is always on; e-ink technology can be used without power if the screen doesn’t change, so user can use back display, without consuming much power. Yotadevices said, “The function of backside display can be set freely. Also, you can save power used for turning on the front screen because you can always check the information set by you.”

‘Always ON’ in a function where the display is always turned on to deliver information. It is difficult to apply to OLED display. This is due to the burn-in phenomenon, which occurs when a particular pixel of the OLED panel is depleted and discolored, maintaining a fixed screen for a long time. To apply the ‘Always ON’ to the OLED, the OLED light-emitting material must be improved or the image-processing technology must be developed to minimize burn-in phenomenon. LG applied the ‘Always ON’ in G watch R by reducing the burn-in phenomenon, using the new image processing technology which moves the screen gradually at regular intervals.

‘Always ON’ is expected to be used primarily in the automotive displays and wearable displays where information should be displayed for a long time, and is forecast to be a key feature of the display in future.

LG Display Changes Game Rules for Premium TV with OLED TV

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To change the rules of the game of TV market, LG Display held a media event on 19 May, overseen by Yeo Sang-deog, the president of LG Display’s OLED division. This event was structured only with OLED and showed LG Display’s determination regarding future OLED panel business.

 

Yeo Sang-deog mentioned that OLED panel will become LG Display’s future cash cow and suggested that LG Display could be reorganized to focus on OLED business.

 

In order for LG Display to commercialize OLED, clients who can buy the panels are important as well as companies that develop materials that can actualize qualities needed and necessary equipment. Yeo expressed that LG Display will engage in formation of ecosystem related to OLED industry to grow OLED panel as an export business.

 

For this event, LG Display prepared separate exhibition area formed only with OLED. The exhibition space was largely separated into 3 sections. The first area exhibited OLED TV and QD-LCD TV, which is receiving much focus recently, in comparison and demonstrated how OLED TV is much superior in terms of viewing angle, contrast range, and color gamut. The second exhibition space showed large size OLED panel. OLED TV with HDR technology which was shown in CES 2015, and convex OLED were shown, as well as transparent OLED. World’s first 500R curved OLED TV, wallpaper OLED TV with the thickness of a coin, and edge slice OLED TV were revealed. The third space was an area for what is becoming an issue, plastic OLED. LG Display exhibited 1.3 inch round plastic OLED for smart watch, 5.5 inch FHD curved plastic OLED, 6 inch active bending (dual bending) plastic OLED, and 12.3 inch cluster plastic OLED for dashboard in vehicle.

 

LG Display revealed all OLED products to domestic and international press, and demonstrated their confidence in OLED panel industry leadership.

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Large Size OLED Panel Technology Match, ‘WRGB vs. Solution Process RGB’

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Large size OLED panel is currently being mass produced by LG Display using WRGB method, and investment in this method for large size panel is being considered by OLED panel latecomers. Another method that can be used to produce OLED is RGB method. In 2013 Samsung Display mass produced using RGB method but halted the process due to problems in yield rate and technology. However, recently as key display companies are developing RGB method using solution process for large area OLED panel, latecomers are having to make a difficult choice in process selection.

 

OLED specialized panel company JOLED, established by JDI, Sony, Panasonic, and Innovation Network Corporation of Japan (INCJ), is aiming for mid-to-large size OLED panel production using solution process. Additionally, other companies including AUO, BOE, LG Display, and Samsung Display are developing large size OLED panel using solution process technology. In 2013, AUO presented 65 inch FHD panel that used solution process technology, and BOE revealed 30.5 inch FHD panel. Panasonic also presented solution process applied 4K panel.

 

According to 2015 White OLED Display Annual Report, published by UBI Research, WRGB method has an advantage in high mass production potential as open mask is used. However, due to the stack structure and color filter use, it has a disadvantage of increased panel production cost. On the other hand, the materials and process technology for solution process are not yet mature, but has the advantage of being able to produce large size OLED panel in Gen 8 size or larger without glass cutting using RGB method. It also can reduce the production cost as the material efficiency is high and does not require color filter.

 

At present the mass produced glass area by the latecomers forecast to manufacture large area AMOLED panel is expected to occupy approximately 30% of the total large area OLED market in 2020, and latecomers’ choice in technology investment will be a key point. Therefore, the large area panel technology leadership will be decided on whether WRGB and solution process methods can solve the issues that each has.

By DaRae Kim, reporter@olednet.co.kr

[Analyst Column] Green Light Lit for Korean Display Industry?

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Dr. Choong Hoon Yi, Chief Analyst of UBI Research

Source: UBI Research

Source: UBI Research

 

After the weak showing of 5 quarters, Korea’s display panel industry is distinctively showing trend of growth. According to Samsung Electronics and LG Display’s 1Q 2015 performance announcements, the total sales of Korean display of 1Q is approximately US$ 12,900,000,000. Compared to the previous quarter (QoQ) the sales showed a decrease of 9%, but compared to the same quarter of the previous year (YoY) it is a 20% increase.

 

The worst quarter of the last 2 years, in terms of sales performance, was 4Q 2013. Generally, 4Q which includes Christmas season shows best performance but in 2013 the numbers actually fell compared to 3Q. However, 2014 showed the more general flow of continued sales increase every quarter.

 

According to this quarterly performance, it is analyzed that 2015 Korean display panel will fit the growth pattern; YoY of this quarter and previous quarter shows 14% and 20% of growth respectively.

 

Source: UBI Research

Source: UBI Research

 

The reason for Korean display industry’s recovery trend is LG Display’s continued positive performance. Comparing the market share in sales between Samsung Display and LG Display, LG Display is leading the market for the past 3 quarters occupying more than 50%.

 

The elevation in LG Display’s performance is seen to be from Apple iPhone 6’s improved performance. However, as the iPhone 6’s shipment increases, it is likely that the rival Samsung Electronics’ Galaxy sales will fall, leading toward the possible slowdown of Samsung Display’s performance.

 

Samsung Display and LG Display’s success will inevitably differ depending on the market share of world leading smart phone companies that they supply, Samsung Electronics and Apple. However, the Korean display industry, no matter which Korean company comes ahead, is expected to continue its growth.

LG Electronics, Not Selling OLED TV? Or Can’t Sell?

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OLED TV business that LG Electronics ambitiously prepared for is remaining at a standstill for more than 2 years. Korean media is reporting that the OLED TV sales in Korea reached 3,000 units per month, but this figure is too weak.

 

The money that LG Display have invested in line establishment for OLED panel for TV is already exceeding approx. US$ 1,400,000,000. Annual depreciation cost for equipment investment alone, excluding cost of labor and material, is approx. US$ 280,000,000.

 

Considering the current cost for FHD OLED TV is approx. US$ 1,800 – 3,300, monthly sales of 3,000 units in Korea only result in approx. US$ 9,400,000. With approx. 10,000 units per month being sold in the world, monthly revenue is merely US$ 23,000,000.

 

Although LG Display is aiming for 600,000 units of OLED panel for TV shipment this year, with LG Electronics’ first quarter world OLED TV sales of approx. 30,000 units, there is concern that only 100,000 – 200,000 units will be sold in 2015.

 

It is difficult to understand whether this uncommonly low sales of LG Electronics’ OLED TV is because they are not selling them or unable to sell them.

 

It seems plain that the initial price of OLED TV in 2013, approx. US$ 14,000, was set in order to not sell. LED TV at the time was being sold at approx. US$ 2,800, and the 5 times more expensive price was too high to be considered a normal premium price. Consequently, the 2013 OLED TV market stopped at around 10,000 units, and in 2014 remained around 100,000 units.

 

At this point, feasible production rate for LG Display’s 55 inch FHD OLED panel needs to be compared. In 2013, LG Display’s M1 line yield rate was approx. 40% with annual possible production of 50,000 – 100,000 units. As the yield rate increased to 80% in 2014, it is estimated that 200,000 units or more would have been produced.

 

Compared to LG Display’s investment cost and production potential, the LG Electronics’ OLED TV sales results are too shabby.

 

Of course, as the current main product on the market is FHD, when the newly released UHD OLED TV market actively opens the figures could always change. However, with 55 inch UHD OLED TV having to compete with Samsung Electronics’ SUHD TV, the market is not so easy. SUHD TV costs approx. US$ 3,700, and UHD OLED TV costs about 25% more with US$ 5,100.

 

Compared to the initial price of FHD OLED TV, approx. US$ 14,000, 2 years ago the UHD OLED TV price is low enough to be quite reasonable. However, with the performance of past 2 years it appears that LG Display might be inadequate to widely open the OLED TV market.

 

It makes one wonder how Samsung Electronics became the world leading company with their OLED panel equipped Galaxy series achieving 20% mobile market share, a market that used to be dominated by LCD panel.

LG Display Reports Performance, Focus on Structure Differentiation Through OLED TV

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On April 22, LG Display reported their first quarter of 2015 performance announcing their success in OLED TV market entrance with balanced results in mass production yield rate, timing, and management. They also revealed their panel production targets of 600,000 units this year, and 1,500,000 units in 2016.

 

LG Display’s CFO Sang-don Kim announced that “OLED TV was about technology innovation until last year, this year it will be innovation in consumers and yield rate, and by next year it will be decided whether it has popularization potential”. He added LG Display will “focus on increasing the business values rather than immediate profit and methodically proceed with OLED focused strategy for structural differentiation in large size display”. He also revealed LG Display will decide on additional investment after observing OLED TV market’s growth potential.

 

Regarding China’s BOE Gen10.5 investment, a recent issue, he forecast “much time is needed to begin set up and if Chinese companies run into problems while working on enlarging the display it is estimated that they will return to 30inch. Therefore LG Display’s large area panel sales will not be much affected”. He explained in regards to LG Display’s Gen10.5 large area LCD investment that it will be decided after careful examination considering the cost and market maturity.

 

LG Display also revealed a decrease in sales in small to mid-size display, such as tablet, due to seasonal factors. However for large size display, they announced as a result of improved performance, the total business profit recorded approx. 687 million USD, an 11% increase compared to the previous quarter (approx. 578 million USD), and showed surplus in business profit for the 12 consecutive quarters.

 

LG Display CFO Sang-don Kim

LG Display CFO Sang-don Kim

[Finetech Japan 2015] Mobile Display up to 700 ppi. How about OLED?

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At Finetech Japan 2015 (April 6-8), vice president of LG Display, Yoon Sooyoung, forecast the display resolution would evolve to 700ppi UHD for differentiation in technology. Japan Display’s CBO Yoshiyuki Tsukizaki also disclosed that a person can perceive up to 700ppi and estimated that mobile display resolution would therefore develop up to 700ppi.

 

Currently mobile display is being mass produced at QHD (approx. 500ppi), and UHD resolution is known to being actively developed for LCD. It is analyzed that UHD mobile OLED panel development will be a necessity in order to adapt to the trend toward high resolution. OLED is being mass produced in RGB pixel structure where FMM (fine metal mask) is applied. However, as FMM production technology is difficult, QHD AMOLED panel is being mass produced via pentile pixel structure rather than real RBG pixel structure. Therefore, technology for realization of mobile UHD resolution is expected to be a key issue in future.

 

For the mobile UHD AMOLED panel realization, securing shadow mask technology that allows for UHD resolution is important. In Finetech Japan 2015, V-Technology exhibited FHM (fine hybrid mask) technology that can produce 700ppi or higher resolution. V-Technology further revealed that “resolution of up to 738ppi can be produced using laser patterning technology after the formation of polyimide film on top of Ni mask”.

 

Additionally, another method is where white OLED + color filter is applied which uses color filter patterning technology. This is a comparatively easier method for producing high resolution, and JDI is aiming for mass production using WRGB structure. Chinese latecomers are also examining application of white OLED + color filter structure for high resolution AMOLED panel production.

 

The attention of the industry is now focused on how OLED will react and what solution will be generated facing LCD sector that is evolving toward UHD mobile display.

 

738ppi UHD Resolution FHM, Finetech Japan 2015

738ppi UHD Resolution FHM, Finetech Japan 2015

By Yu Jin Hong, reporter@olednet.co.kr

What is the Next Killer OLED Display Application?

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The interest in automotive display by OLED industry’s key leaders, Samsung Display and LG Display, is growing. During the 1st OLED KOREA Conference (April 2, 2015), Dr. Ki-Yong Lee, vice president of Samsung Display, predicted that “in 2018, 1.4 display units will be applied per car and form a market of 150 million units” and emphasized that “flexible OLED panel has an advantage of fast response time and being unbreakable and therefore suitable for automotive display”.

 

LG Display’s team leader, Won-Gyun Youn forecast that “from the rare keynote speeches from automobile manufacturers in this year’s CES, automotive display could be a new market for OLED”.

 

Speaking at the 1st OLED KOREA Conference, Dr. Choong Hoon Yi, the president of UBI Research, also commented that “OLED’s merit of infinite contrast range will provide high visibility even in monochrome and appropriate for drivers, and flexible OLED can be freely applied to vehicle’s interior” and estimated OLED will be actively used for automotive display in future.

 

OLED display, as flexible display, can be easily produced and cannot be broken. It also has advantages of infinite contrast range and fast response time and is a focus of automobile industry. Several cars have already been released with OLED display equipped instruments including dashboard and navigation. Recently, Italdesign Giugiaro’s concept car, Gea, equipped with LG Display’s plastic OLED was revealed in Geneva International Motor Show 2015.

 

Following this trend, the company that is most proactive in OLED application in automobile industry is LG Display. LG Display has already announced their target of 30% world market share acquisition in automotive display with the revenue of approx. US$ 1,800 million in 2018. In CES 2015 held in January, LG Display also presented 13.1 inch automotive display and 21.5 inch curved plastic OLED that included instrument panel and CID.

Various Display Equipped Concept Car, Geneva International Motor Show 2015

Various Display Equipped Concept Car, Geneva International Motor Show 2015

By Da Rae Kim, reporter@olednet.co.kr

LG Display, next is the plastic OLED!

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Supported by the success of WOLED production for OLED TVs, LG Display is ambitiously formulating the next project with the plastic OLED. The development of dual-edge plastic OLED was completed as an extension of the plastic OLED product already used in LG’s G Flex and G Watch, and the product for automobile dash board is under preparation.

Presenting the curved plastic OLED display for dash board and dual-edge plastic OLED at the press conference exhibition hall of CES 2015, LG Display demonstrated its diverse products portfolio employing plastic OLED.

150130_LG디스플레이, 다음은 plastic OLED다!

 

LG Display CEO Han Sang-beom mentioned at the press conference that the dual-edge plastic OLED panel to apply for diverse customers and smartphones is under discussion and the product for a dash board is under development in close collaboration with two automobile companies. However, he also said that it may require more time as the display for an automobile demands brighter light quality and the clients are expecting to use it from 2017.

Though the original plastic OLED produced by LG Electronics for G Flex was only HD level resolution incompatible with other displays for smartphones, now the FHD plastic OLED for the G Flex 2 which was announced at CES 2015 secured enough competitiveness in terms of resolution compared to the LCD and OLED panels manufactured by other rival companies.

“A decision for investment will be made soon!” said Mr. Han at the end of the press conference regarding the plastic OLED line investment.

The size of the early investment is estimated to be Gen6 15K and the major clients for the plastic OLED panel will be LG Electronics and Apple.

Chung-hoon Lee, Editor, editor@olednet.co.kr

Universal Display and LG Display Announce Entry into Long-Term OLED Patent License and Supplemental Material Purchase Agreements

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Universal Display Corporation (Nasdaq:OLED), enabling energyefficient displays and lighting with its UniversalPHOLED® technology and materials, and LG Display Co., Ltd. (NYSE: LPL), the world’s leading innovator of display technologies, today announced the signing of a new OLED Technology License Agreement and Supplemental Material Purchase Agreement. The agreements run through December 31, 2022.
Today’s announcement builds on a long-term relationship between the two companies. Under the license agreement, Universal Display has granted LG Display non-exclusive license rights under various patents owned or controlled by Universal Display to manufacture and sell OLED display products. In consideration of the license grant, LG Display has agreed to pay Universal Display license fees and running royalties on its sales of these licensed products over the term of the agreement. Additionally, Universal Display will supply phosphorescent materials to LG Display for use in its licensed products.
“We are excited to enter into these agreements with our long-term partner LG Display, a global technology innovator who is leading the charge for OLED TVs, evidenced by its recent CES showcase of new 4K models ranging from 55″, 65″ and 77″ in flexible, curved and flat form actors,” said Steven V. Abramson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Display Corporation. “The growth of our relationship demonstrates the continued acceptance of our OLED technology and phosphorescent materials by the display industry for cutting-edge, high performance, energy-efficient commercial OLED displays. We look forward to the continued collaboration in support of LGD’s advancements in expanding the thriving OLED product roadmap, including the advent of new form factors that redefine what a display can and will be.”
“This is a win-win partnership for both companies. We expect this strategic alliance with Universal Display will bring synergies in accelerating the growth of OLED technology, and based on strengthened OLED business, LG Display is committed to deliver differentiated products to customers and the market,” said Sang Deog Yeo, President and Head of OLED business unit of LG Display.

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