Epson announced a new OLED display controller for car audio systems. The S1D13702 offers improved functionality over its predecessor (the S1D13701), which has been well received by car manufacturers since volume production began in 2004. Epson plans to start shipping samples shortly, and to begin volume production this summer. Samples are priced at 1,000 yen each before tax.

The new product supports OLED panels with 260K colors, fast response speed and overlapping displays. When used with 256x64 line panels, the controller chip supports fast-moving video images.

CNN included OLEDs as number 17 in their new 'Top 25 innovations' list. The list was compiled by a panel of technology leaders assembled by the Lemelson-MIT Program, which promotes inventiveness in young adults. The list includes non-medically related technological innovations that have become widely used since 1980.

Other innovations include the Internet, personal computers, e-mail, DNA fingerprinting, airbags, and nanotechnology.

Leadis announced a new area-color PMOLED display driver, the LDS518. This driver includes integrated display RAM, on-chip oscillator and many user programmable display features.

The LDS518 driver IC supports a maximum display resolution of 128x64 and 4-gray scale color. The company says that this is a cost-effective solution offering optimal price/performance features.

Digitimes reports that Univision Technology, RiTdisplay and Lightronik Technology all enjoyed growth in OLED sales in January 2005 - due to high demand for MP3 players.

Univision plans to introduce 1- to 1.5-inch full-color PMOLED panels in the second or the third quarter of 2005.

Samsung SDI said that it has developed a new technology called Super Grain Silicon (SGS) that can be used to fabricate OLED backplanes. Samsung hopes that SGS will enable them to produce large sized OLED TV panels on the cheap.

A company official said that "This technology is a breakthrough, helping us overcome the major obstacles in producing OLED panels for TVs and computer monitors". They plan to use SGS in 30 to 40" AMOLED display panels.

NTERA is unveiling a new display technology called NanoChromics. They say that this "intelligent" technology features ink-on-paper readability and low power consumption - at a competitive cost. NanoChromics is an e-paper technology, but NTERA claims it can compete with OLED technology on a cost basis.

Merck announced that it has bought Avecia's OLED materials polymer electronics businesses, for €50 million in cash. The transaction is expected to be completed during the first quarter of 2005.

The acquisition includes Covion Organic Semiconductors GmbH in Frankfurt, Germany, a leader in the design, development and manufacture of high quality OLED materials. It also includes Avecia's polymer electronics research and development activities based in Manchester.

Vitex Systems announced that it has been awarded an R&D contract from the U.S. Display Consortium (USDC) to scale up its flexible glass substrate technology to roll-type manufacturing for producing flexible OLED displays.

Vitex has developed a thin-film encapsulation solution, called Barix, to resolve moisture and oxygen sensitivity problems common in flexible substrates. Under this new USDC contract, Vitex will explore producing the flexible glass substrate on a high-volume, roll-to-roll manufacturing line with the improved barrier performance and lower defect levels needed to meet stringent quality requirements associated with producing OLED displays.

Cambridge Display Technology and Switzerland's ILFORD Imaging will jointly evaluate the performance of new PLED materials.

ILFORD develops and produces precision coated, ink jet printing consumables. The company has discovered that certain nanoporous structures have potentially valuable properties when applied to P-OLED displays. These new materials, when integrated into a display device, have optical properties which help to transmit light which would otherwise be trapped and lost.

Anders Electronics is now offering a range of PMOLED displays made by Osram Opto Semiconductors. Anders will provide engineering and design-in support for Osram’s Pictiva OLED displays in the UK, Germany and Switzerland.

The Pictiva range includes display formats ranging from 80 columns x 48 rows to 128 columns x 64 rows. Available color options are green, yellow and orange. They are designed to be driven by standard IC driver technology that supports both parallel and serial interfaces.