November 2020

Korea's The Elec says that Samsung Display aims to start trial runs at its QD-OLED 8.5-Gen production line next month (December 2020).

SDC will brand these displays as QD Displays. The first generation ones will adopt SDC's current hybrid QD-OLED architecture, but later ones may adopt QNED (quantum-rods) emitters. In any case, SDC's plan is to start mass production by the end of 2021, in the first line (15,000 monthly substrates). SDC is also planning a second line to follow the first, to arrive at a total of 30,000 monthly 8.5-Gen substrates.

China-based display technology developer Viewtrix (also known as Yunyinggu) announced that it is starting to produce its AMOLED and OLED microdisplay driver ICs. Viewtrix plans to produce 10 million AMOLED driver ICs by the end of the year - which is about 10% of the total Chinese market.

Viewtrix also announced that it has secured its Series D financing round, totalling $45.6 million, led by Sequoia Capital China.

Korea-based SK Materials has established an OLED materials joint venture with Japan's JNC. The two companies will establish a new company called SK JNC (in which SK will hold 51%) that will produce OLED stack materials, including emitters.

The materials in production will be based on JNC's technologies and patents, including ones for blue emitters - apparently the main patent is for a TADF blue emitter. SK will provide its production and sales network.

Dongxu (Tungshu) Optoelectronics has started to construct China's largest OLED substrate glass factory, in Tianshui City. Total investment in the new glass factory will be 5 billion yuan ($760 million), and the plant will include four 6-Gen glass production lines.

The local Tianshui Municipal Government helped finance the project and provided 2 billion yuan.

SCREEN Finetech Solutions developed a new coater (SK-F1500H) for color filter film forming with anti-reflective properties. These color filters are intended to be used in flexible (foldable/rollable) OLED devices. The company says the new coater is able to achieve outstanding efficiency by executing the entire process in a single integrated line (6-Gen / 2 substrate).

SCREEN FT explains that in current rollable and foldable OLEDs, the multi-film structure is a weak point that is one of the reasons these display get wrinkled and damaged when bent. One of the problems is in the multi-layered circular polarizers. Color filter films can replace the polarizers, reduce the number of layers, and enable high transmittance and higher energy efficiency.

In a very interesting post, The Elec states that Apple has reached out to both Samsung Display and LG Display, requesting that the display suppliers develop a longer-lifetime OLED display for Apple's next iPad Pro devices.

LG 12.8-inch P-OLED in Mercedes Benz 2021 S-Class

The lifetime of the current crop of mobile OLED devices is not enough for Apple's iPad - which is designed to be used for a longer period of time compared to a smartphone. An increased lifetime will also result in lower burn-in problems which seem to trouble Apple.

A couple of months ago we reported that researchers at UDC developed an OLED device with plasmonic decay rate enhancement that dramatically increase device stability. It turns out that UDC filed for two new trademark applications that seem to hint it is aiming to commercialize this technology.

The two trademarks at PLASMON PHOLED and PLASMONLED, which both of course indicate that these are emitters that adopt plasmon technology.

LG Electronics signed an exclusive marketing partnership with Microsoft, and LG's OLED TV technology is now the official TV partner of Microsoft’s new Xbox Series X gaming console.

LG says that its latest OLED TVs are the best way to enjoy gaming on the Xbox Series X, with features such as 4K resolution, 120 fps, an ultra-fast 1ms response time, low input lag and support for the latest HDMI specifications including Variable Refresh Rate (VRR), Auto Low Latency Mode (ALLM) and enhanced return audio channel (eARC). LG's latest TVs also feature the HGiG HRD profile.

A few days ago Oppo unveiled the Oppo X, a rollable OLED smartphone that can open up to increase the display size. When closed the Oppo X has a 6.7-inch AMOLED, and when rolled open it can reach 7.4 inches.

According to Gizmochina, BOE produces the rollable display for Oppo. BOE unveiled its first rollable OLED prototype in 2019. According to reports LG Electronics has plans to build a rollable smartphone in early 2021, using BOE's panels.

Earlier this year it was reported that BOE failed to pass Apple's quality tests and did not become a supplier to the iPhone 12 series (BOE also failed to pass Samsung Electronics's display quality test).

According to a new report from Korea, Apple has tested BOE's AMOLEDs for next year's iPhones, but again BOE's OLED production quality is not good enough for Apple, which means that in 2021 Samsung Display and LG Display will remain the exclusive OLED suppliers to Apple's phones. In 2021 it is likely that Apple will introduce LTPO displays in addition to screens with a 120Hz refresh rates and on-cell touch.