December 2022

LG Display announced that it is starting to produce 27" and 45" 240Hz WOLED panels, optimized for gaming applications. The 45" panel is an ultra-wide 3440x1440 (WQHD) curved one.

LG Electronics already unveiled monitors based on these panels last month, the Ultragear 27GR95QE-B and 45GR95QE. LGE did not say when these monitors will ship, but it will likely happen soon if LGD is already producing the panels. Other companies, including Asus and Corsair have also developed monitors based on these panels.

LG Display is producing 55" transparent OLED panels for some years, mostly targeting signage (commercial) applications. According to a report from Korea, LGD is in talks with LGE regarding the launch of a consumer transparent OLED TV.

Xiaomi's Mi TV Lux Transparent Edition

The reports suggests that LGE does not see a large demand for such a TV, especially in the current market conditions, and if this will happen, it will only happen in 2024. LGE in addition would have to develop new technologies, including using reinforced glass to cover the whole panel.

Reports from Korea suggest that China-based OLED makers have seen lower utilization rates, as demand for OLED displays is smaller than expected, which is leading the companies to slow down their capacity expansion plans.

The capacity of all China-based OLED makers have risen from 20% of the global OLED market in 2019, to around 40% in 2022. But growth ahead will be slower, and by 2027, the market share of China-based makers will reach 45% of the global market. This data is from DSCC.

In the past year or so, much have been said about Samsung's plans to build a 8-Gen OLED IT production line, as the company wants to expand its capacity for monitors, laptops and tablet OLED displays.

Samsung plan for a full-cut 8-Gen line

As this is the first such production line, SDC had two ongoing R&D projects: one with Ulvac, that used full-cut vertical OLED deposition, and another with Canon Tokki, that used half-cut horizontal deposition. According to the latest reports from Korea, SDC decided to prioritize the Canon Tokki half-cut project, as the technology is more mature and is more likely to finish as per Apple's roadmap.

In 2021 The Korean government launched a new project that aims to develop technologies for the production of OLED microdisplays for AR applications. The project is led by AP Systems (APS Holdings), and aims to produce a direct emission OLED microdisplay with a resolution of 4,000 PPI by 2024. Earlier this year APS developed FMM masks that reached 1,000 PPI.

APS now announced that it has produced a 3,000 PPI direct-emission OLED microdisplay, based on its FMM technology. This is very impressive progress.

Earlier in 2022, Samsung Display confirmed it is developing OLED microdisplays. Samsung admitted it is still at an early stage of development, and it said it will start building its first line (with likely limited capacity) in 2023. By 2024 it will mass produce displays, and in 2025 it will expand capacity so that by 2026 it will achieve full commercialization.

Today we hear new reports from Korea that shed some more light on Samsung's OLED microdisplay fab status. The company has started to order equipment (from SFA Engineering and AP Systems, it seems) for a 300 mm pilot line that will be located at Samsung's existing A2 fab in Asan, Korea.

On March 27 the MicroLED Industry Association will host a private webinar on perovskite materials for the microLED industry. Perovskite materials hold great promise for the solar industry and in recent years we are seeing promising signs for the adoption of perovskites the display industry.

The upcoming Seminar will feature four world-leading speakers, and will also be open to a Q&A session. We will learn more about the state-of-the-art perovskite research and development, with a focus of course on applications in the microLED industry - for both perovskite QDs and PeLEDs.

The Elec reports that Samsung Electronics is set to launch a foldable OLED laptop next year, using a 17.3" AMOLED display produced by Samsung Display. HP is also gearing up to release its first foldabl OLED, with a 17-inch display produced by LG Display.

Asus ZenBook 17 Fold OLED

Foldable OLED laptops are exciting, but current prices are very high, and so demand is low. The Asus ZenBook 17 Fold OLED for example, which uses a 17.3-inch display made by BOE, costs $3,500 - a very high price for a laptop. It is reported that Asus only ordered 10,000 displays from BOE as it understand it cannot ship many units at this price, and HP also not planning for many sales of their own first-gen foldable laptops, and have ordered a similar number of displays.

UBI Research says that shipments of medium and large area OLED panels (which the company defines as 10 inches and up) will reach 26.1 million units in 2022. The market is set for fast growth, and shipments will reach 69.5 million units by 2027.

The main application by revenue will be TV panels, over the whole projected period, and OLED TV panel shipments will reach 14.8 million units in 2027, and generate $9.18 billion in sales.

OLED microdisplay maker eMagin announced that it has received an order of approximately $1.7 million for high-brightness OLED microdisplays from Collins Aerospace for its F-35 Helmet Mounted Display System (HMDS).

eMagin says that the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning is the world’s most advanced jet fighter and is designed to provide intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance in any weather conditions, day or night, in both air-superiority and strike missions. The Helmet Mounted Display System is a critical part of the F-35's human-machine interface.