OLED production

As OLED display makers are racing to launch IT AMOLED displays (for laptops, monitors and tablets), there has been recent reports that TCL CSoT has decided to build a 8-Gen AMOLED line, in a 63 billion Yuan (about $8.7 billion USD) investment.

TCL CSoT issued a statement that says that this report is inaccurate, and the company has not made a decision yet and does not have an investment plan. 

According to Sino Research, in the first quarter of 2024, small-to-medium AMOLED production in China surpassed the production in Korea, by shipments, for the first time. China's market share was 53.9%, an increase from 44.9% in Q4 2023.

The leading producer is still Samsung Display, with a 41% market share (down from 53.3% last year). BOE has a market share of 17%, Visionox 12%, CSoT 10%, Tianma 9% and LGD 6%. The mean reason for the rise in China production and a decline in Korea's is lower shipments to Apple and an increase in the adoption of OLEDs in Chinese smartphones. 

Germany-based Loewe announced that it has established its own OLED TV assembly line, at its headquarters in Kronach, Germany. The new facility is said to be based on a 'radically designed' production process, and it is staffed by around 200 employees. The line will begin full-scale production by the end of May.

Loewe revealed that it is buying 'open-cell' WOLED panels from LG Display - and this is the first production line in Europe that can work with such panels (as opposed to complete OLED modules used in all other EU-based lines). Working with open-cell panels enables Loewe to have more control over the process and the design of its premium TVs.

OLED microdisplay developer Seeya Technology announced that it is starting to build its second OLED microdisplay production line, in Shanghai. The company will start to move in and install the production equipment next month.

The new production line will have a monthly capacity of 9,000 300 mm substrates, similar to the company's first line which is already in mass production. The total cost of the new fab is expected to reach 2 billion Yuan (around $275 million USD).

A report from Korea suggests that SDC has transferred around 500 of its engineers from its large-area OLED development division, or about 30% of them, to its divisions that focus on small and medium-sized AMOLED development.

Samsung tri-folding AMOLED prototype

According to the report, the main reason for SDC's change of priorities is due to the need to remain competitive with Chinese-based OLED makers that are offering OLED panels at low costs. Samsung estimates that it is ahead of its Chinese competitors by only a year or a year and half, and it is just a matter of time until Chinese companies catch up with South Korea makers (SDC and LGD).

In 2022, Japan Display (JDI) announced that it has developed a "historic breakthrough in display technology" - a new OLED deposition process which they refer to as eLEAP, that is said to be cost effective and can be used to create freeform OLEDs that are brighter, more efficient, and longer lasting compared to OLEDs produced using mask evaporation (FMM).

Japan Display announced an agreement with China-based LCD maker HKC Corp to mass produce panels by 2025 in China, based on JDI's technology, but the plan was later cancelled, and JDI said it will establish its own factory in China. This project saw delays and was scaled-down in December 2023, and yesterday JDI announces that it again delays the project - now hoping to sign the agreement with the Wuhu Economic and Technological Development Zone by October 2024.

In January 2024 we reported that Samsung Display and LG Display have started to produce AMOLED displays for Apple's future iPads, to be announced later this year. Earlier expectations were for Apple to order a total of 10 million iPad AMOLED displays in 2024 from both LGD and SDC, with LGD getting around 60% of the orders. 

Apple was aiming to launch the new OLED iPads this month, but have now reportedly delayed the release to May, as Samsung is suffering from low yields for the 11" AMOLED panels, mostly due to the tandem stack architecture.

A report from China suggests that TCL CSOT is looking into building a 8.6-Gen AMOLED production line, targeting IT display production. According to the report, TCL will announce its investment plan later in 2024, if it decides to go ahead with the new fab.

The IT display market (targeting laptops, monitors and tablets) is heating up as Apple will start to adopt AMOLED displays in its tablets this year. Apple's market pull is significant and other vendors will likely increase adoption of IT AMOLEDs. 

Germany-based OLED lighting developer Inuru inaugurated its new OLED lighting panel production line, the "Dragon Factory", in Wildau near Berlin, Germany. This is an important milestone for Inuru, which is focusing on medication packaging and entertainment applications. The production line is now ready, but it will probably take some time to ramp-up and achieve full-scale production.

Inuru produces its OLED lighting panels using an inkjet printing process, which it says educes production costs by around 90% compared to conventional (evaporation-based) processes.