Researchers from Japan's Kyushu University developed new OLED devices made by integrating OLED emitters with thick layers of hybrid perovskite materials. The researchers say that such a device structure to enable lower-cost production and better viewing angles in OLED displays.

OLED devices usually use a very thin layer of organic materials, as these are poor conductors, which makes production more difficult and also leads to cavity effects which distorts the emission color. The thick perovskite-OLED hybrid layer (which is around 2,000 nm thick) are more easily processed compared to thin film layers while still being highly conductive.

The South Korean government says it will spend around $6.5 billion in the next five years to help the local materials, components and equipment sectors and lower its dependence on Japanese imports. This follows Japan's government decision to restrict some material exports, including fluorinated polyimide, to South Korea, following a diplomatic tension between the two countries.

Korea hopes to ensure a stable supply of 100 strategic items (selected from a list of 1,100 industrial items that are imported mostly from Japan) and will assist local R&D activities, lower import barriers and reach out to suppliers in other countries. Korea mostly aims to protect its chips, displays, cars, electronics, equipment and chemicals industries.

Universal Display and Merck announced that the two companies will collaborate on OLED research and development. The two companies will join their know-how to accelerate the development of new products.

This joint development program brings together UDC's leading-edge phosphorescent OLED emitters with Merck's state-of-the-art transport materials. The objective is to develop higher performing OLED stacks for OLED manufacturers around the world.

OLED driver IC developer MagnaChip reported its financial results for Q2 2019, with revenues that exceeded its own guidance. One of the company's main growth drivers is OLED display driver ICs, which were up 7% from Q2 2018 to $73 million, the company's highest quarter ever.

Magnachip says that its OLED business benefited from six new OLED smartphone that were launched in Asia during the quarter, and the company also secured four new design wins. Most of its OLED driver revenues are from its 40-nm display driver, but its new 28-nm driver has entered mass production and will be a key revenue driver going forward.

Universal Display reported its financial results for Q2 2019. Revenues were $118.2 million, the operating profit reached $48.7 million and net income was $43.4 million. UDC increased its 2019 revenue guidance to be in the range of $370 million to $390 million. The company ended Q2 with $553 million in cash and equivalents.

The Q2 results include about $15-20 million of orders that UDC estimates were pulled-in from the second half of 2019 as Chinese customers build up inventory for trade-related reasons.

Business Korea reports that Sharp will withdraw from the smartphone OLED market. Sharp started producing OLEDs in low volume in August 2018, and Business Korea quotes IHS saying that Sharp understands it cannot compete with Korean and Chinese companies with both technology and price.

Business Korea says that Sharp produced a total of 60,000 smartphone OLED panels - 6.2" 1440x2992 flexible notch-type AMOLEDs that were adopted in Sharp's own Aquos Zero phone. Sharp has already stopped production last month. It is not clear if Sharp will still continue to produce OLEDs for other applications (automotive perhaps?) or will it withdraw from all production.