June 2017

According to reports from Korea, Samsung Display is considering a new OLED plant, that will include two different building in Choenan and Asan. This fab will be Samsung's largest OLED fab yet (and the world's largest, really) - with a monthly capacity of 180,000 to 270,000 6-Gen substrates. Samsung's current largest fab, the A3, will have a monthly capacity of 135,000 substrates when the current expansion phase ends later this year.

This plan has not been approved yet, but it seems like Samsung has already informed of the plans to its key equipment suppliers. The investment in this fab will be large, the buildings alone will cost $1.75 billion. Samsung plans to start operating the fab in 2019.

Qualcomm announced a new ultrasonic fingerprint sensor technology that can be fitted under OLED displays. Qualcomm says that the new sensor will be able to scan through OLED displays up to 1200 um.

Apparently the new technology is not compatible with LCD. This may not bother Qualcomm too much as most higher-end smartphones are now adopting OLED displays and not LCDs. If the phone does not have an OLED, the sensor can be placed under a glass or aluminum case. The sensor can work under water and it also detects heartbeat and blood flow.

Fraunhofer FEP and Sefar developed a roll-to-roll processed large-area flexible OLED lighting panels in a joint project. This achievement followed a batch-based flexible OLED panel demonstrated in early 2017.

The R2R process currently used enables Fraunhofer and Sefar to produce 30 cm wide OLEDs in lengths of up to 30 meters.

Taiwan-based INT Tech and UltraChip have setup a new joint-venture called Ultra Display that will focus on driver ICs for AMOLED panels. Ultra Display aims to start sampling its first IC by the end of 2017, and start commercial production in 2018.

Ultra Display was launched with a capital of almost $2 million. UltraChip holds a 40% stake, while INT Tech holds 30%.

Universal Display Corporation published an updated virtual tour of some of its state-of-the-art OLED materials and technology labs in Ewing NJ. The video gives a nice introduction to UDC and its OLED technologies and materials:

Digitimes reports that Apple will only be able to ship a very limited number of OLED iPhones following the expected launch in September, as SDC's capacity will be limited to about 3-4 million flexible OLED displays.

Apple goal is to ship 50-60 million OLED iPhones in 2017, and have signed a supply agreement with SDC to supply these displays (some estimate that SDC promised to ship 80 million OLEDs in 2017 alone). But SDC still struggles with low yields for these specific OLED displays and will not be able to produce so many displays in time.

Japan-based Canon Tokki is considered the world's leader in vacuum evaporation equipment, and the company has a large backlog - reportedly it had to decline orders from several OLED makers as all of its capacity was taken up mostly by Samsung Display and BOE.

The Korea Herald reports that LG Display has now managed to order two 6-Gen deposition systems from Canon Tokki. The price of each system is around $115 million, and it can support up to 15,000 monthly substrates. The first machine will be delivered in December 2017 and the second in February 2018.

Yeolight Technology (which was spun-off Visionox in May 2015) developed a 0.1 mm flexible OLED panel. This is a red OLED panel that is specifically designed for automotive applications.

The light emitting area is 13 cm² and the whole panel weighs just 1 gram. Yeolight says that the panel uniformity is over 90%. The panel uses a "special organic polymer" that Yeolight developed and used new materials, package structure and processes in order to improve the lifetime and durability of its new panel.

Kaneka introduced a new OLED lighting fixture, the Kumiko - designed by lighting designer Michiru Tanaka. This is a high-tech decorative update to a traditional Japanese patterned woodwork.

The Kumiko is a fully-customizable modular tile system that can be vertically-mounted on a surface or built into complex architectural designs. The Kumiko panels offer diffused light that looks like staned-glass windows. The panels have a mirror surface when not in use. Kaneka did not disclose the technical specification of these Kumiko panels.

Last month BOE demonstrated several exciting new display technologies at the SID DisplayWeek, and now we have this very nice (and long) video that shows most of BOE's new displays.

We start with a tablet-phone device, a 7.56" foldable touch-enabled OLED that features an QXGA (2048x1536) resolution, a bending radius of 5 mm and a contrast rate of over 70,000:1.