Update: Tianma sent us some technical details about their new panels unveiled at the exhibition.

We just found this video showing a 12" AMOLED display by Tianma from the FPD China 2012 exhibition:

Unfortunately we don't have any more information on this prototype yet. We do know that Tianma is gearing up towards a Gen-4.5 AMOLED fab, and is also reportedly collaborating with Taiwan's Wintek on AMOLED development.

Update: Reports suggest that Novaled wants to raise $200 million. We do not know the valuation though. Novaled saw sales increase 154% to $23 million in 2011 - with the company's first net profit ($4 million).

Last week we reported that Novaled is ready for IPO, and today it is official: the company filed a registration statement on Form F-1 with the U.S. SEC for a proposed initial public offering (IPO). Novaled shares will list on the NASDAQ or at the NYSE. Goldman Sachs and Deutsche Bank Securities are acting as joint book-running managers for the offering. Canaccord Genuity, Commerzbank, Cowen and Company and JMP Securities are acting as co-managers. Novaled is currently backed by Venture capital (including a recent strategic investment from Samsung in late 2011).

Novaled's latest major financing round was in January 2009 (they raised $11.2 million back then). The company says that their 2010 revenue were €11.2 million - and this was supposed to double or more in 2011 (although we do not have official information from the company yet). The company's major client is Samsung. Novaled provides technology and materials (non-emissive) for OLED displays and lighting panels. The company also has a line of high-end OLED lighting lamps called the Liternity.

Nanomarkets released a new OLED lighting market report (OLED Lighting Market Forecast Q2 2012), in which they forecast that OLED lighting panel prices will drop sharply in the next two years as mass production will start. This will have a negative effect on revenue in the near future but will improve when OLED lighting will become mainstream in residential and lighting markets. Nanomarkets expects that the total market for OLED lighting luminaires will reach approximately $6.3 billion in 2017.

Nanomarkets believes that OLED lighting has the potential to seriously compete with the standard fluorescent lighting panels widely used in offices through improved energy efficiency, lower costs and improved aesthetics. In fact the commercial and industrial buildings applications will amount to over 75% of the revenues in 2017. Niche markets (which will account for more then 90% of OLED sales in 2012) will only amount to 1% of total OLED lighting revenues.

Here's an interesting proposal: the European Commission is looking for sponsors to place their innovative lighting solutions (LEDs and/or OLEDs) in the EC's headquarters, the Berlaymont building in Brussels (the seat of the President of the EC and the College of Commissioners and it receives around 700 visitors per day).

The pilot could address ceiling lighting or wall lighting in Berlaymont; it may also be about lighting solutions which are detached from the fixed infrastructure of the building (e.g. decorative lighting). The sponsor will have to deliver, install and maintain the lighting solutions. Submissions should be delivered by May 15. You can learn more in the attached document.

eMagin reported their financial results for Q4 2011. Revenues were $8 million and net income was $1.2 million. In 2011 the company had generated revenues of $29.9 million (down from $30.5 million in 2010) and a net profit of $5 million. The company now has about $14.3 million in cash and investments.

An eMagin OLED microdisplay

eMagin also reported that they expect volume orders for their new digital VGA OLED microdisplay in the second half of 2012. They are developing a commercial display produce for the electronic viewfinder (EVF) market - and have already began to supply panels for a high end electronic viewfinder. eMagin also says they expect to receive funding from the US military to develop high-brightness color OLED displays that will not use color filters (which are used in eMagin's current microdisplays).

Nanomarkets posted an interesting article discussing what a low-growth world means for OLED lighting. They say that while OLEDs has been touted as a high-efficiency lighting technology, this feature alone will not be enough to gain real market share in the lighting industry as the developed world is experience difficult financial times.

Blackbody OLED lamp

There are still technology challenges that needs to be overcome, and companies need to commit to mass production before OLED lighting will begin to sale in meaningful quantities. Nanomarkets also laments the lack of industry leadership - they hoped that GE will be the leader, but it seems that their solution-processable OLED approach is not advancing as everybody hoped, and other companies aren't talking about mass production yet. It seems clear that it'll take at least 3-4 years for the OLED lighting market to actually emerge.

There are reports that Chinese panel producers BOE Display and China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT) are both gearing up AMOLED development.

BOE is apparently focusing on Oxide-TFT backplanes for AMOLED displays, and have produced a 4" WQVGA AMOLED prototype. Back in August 2011 there were reports that BOE Display are planning a $3.5 billion 5.5-Gen fab in Monogola, but we're not sure if this is for real.

There are reports that Novaled is ready for IPO and wants to list their shares on the Nasdaq within a few months. Deutsche Bank and Goldman Sachs will prepare the flotation. Novaled is currently backed by Venture capital (including a recent strategic investment from Samsung in late 2011).

Novaled's latest major financing round was in January 2009 (they raised $11.2 million back then). The company says that their 2010 revenue were €11.2 million - and this was supposed to double or more in 2011 (although we do not have official information from the company yet). The company's major client is Samsung. Novaled provides technology and materials (non-emissive) for OLED displays and lighting panels. The company also has a line of high-end OLED lighting lamps called the Liternity.

Update: Here's some official notice from Sumitomo on their PLED lighting plans...

There are reports that Sumitomo Chemical is planning to start mass producing OLED lighting panels. The company will start accepting orders next month, with mass production to begin later this year. Sumitomo will invest ¥5-6 billion ($60-70 million) in equipment.

Sumitomo will probably base their lighting panels on PLED materials. If indeed this report is true we'll probably hear something official soon.

Winstar (a Taiwan-based LCD, e-paper and PMOLED producer) released their OLED technology roadmap for 2012-2013:

It seems that Winstar is developing transparent OLEDs, apparently the technology will be ready in Q2 2013. They are most likely working on transparent PMOLED panels (just like Futaba is). Winstar is also developing OLED lighting panels - the technology will be ready towards the end of 2013.