DuPont - Page 3

DuPont posted their financial results for 4Q 2011 (small decline in 4Q earnings and record annual earnings) - and the company recorded $20 million income from OLED technology licensing. Back in November 2011 DuPont announced that it has signed a licensing agreement with a leading Asian AMOLED maker - for the OLED nozzle printing technology, which will be used to make OLED TVs. The $20 million (or at least parts of it) may be fees for that license.

DuPont 4.3-inch printed OLED prototype

DuPont's nozzle-printing (or "spray-printing") technology uses a continuous stream of ink (unlike the droplets used in regular inkjet printing) to deposit OLED materials. This is a very fast process - DuPont says it can print a 50" TV in under 2 minutes, but the display isn't optimized in the sub-pixel level and is so less efficient than in other patterning technologies. But the faster throughput can lead to cheaper displays - in fact DuPont claims that this technology may make an OLED TV cheaper than an LCD TV.

DuPont announced that it has signed a OLED production technology licensing agreement with a leading Asian AMOLED maker. This technology will be used to make large size OLED TV panels. We don't have any financial details on this agreement, but a leading asian AMOLED maker probably means Samsung, LG or Sony. In fact Bloomberg claims that the company is probably Samsung (which makes sense).

DuPont 4.3-inch printed OLED prototype

DuPont's nozzle-printing (or "spray-printing") technology uses a continuous stream of ink (unlike the droplets used in regular inkjet printing) to deposit OLED materials. This is a very fast process - DuPont says it can print a 50" TV in under 2 minutes, but the display isn't optimized in the sub-pixel level and is so less efficient than in other patterning technologies. But the faster throughput can lead to cheaper displays - in fact DuPont claims that this technology may make an OLED TV cheaper than an LCD TV.

Dupont has unveiled two new OLED display prototypes made by a coating process (using solution processable materials). The first (shown below) is a 4.3" 480x272 (128 ppi) and the second is a 5.8" display offering 294x196 (83 ppi).

Dupont says that the solution-processable displays offer better uniformity than commercial LCD displays. The cost advantage for solution-processable OLEDs grow as as the panel size increases.

Back in May 2010 Dupont announced that they can print a a 50" OLED TV in under two minutes, using their new printable OLED materials and a custom-made printer from Dai Nippon Screen Manufacturing Co. Today we learned that Dupont estimates that their new OLEDs will be cheaper than LCDs - by about 40%! Regular OLEDs cost about twice as much  as LCDs to manufacture.

Dupont's new manufacturing process uses a continuous stream of ink (rather than droplets used in 'classic' inkjet design), and moves over a surface at rates of four to five meters per second while patterning a display. The spray-printer developed with Dai Nippon Screen works on Gen-4 substrates (730x920). Dupont is using a common structure for each pixel (red, green and blue) and isn't optimizing each pixel. This is less efficient, but results in faster throughput. 

Hong Meng, the Dupont employee that tried to steal OLED technology trade secrets
and give them to Peking University in Beijing was sentenced yesterday for 14 months in prison. Back in June, Meng pleaded guilty.

Remember the Dupont employee that tried to steal OLED technology trade secrets and give them to Peking University in Beijing? He is named Hong Meng, and he pleaded guilty on Tuesday. Meng is facing up to 10 years in prison.

A few days ago, DuPont has unveiled new printable OLED materials. DuPont now say that they can print a 50" OLED TV in under two minutes. They are using a custom-made printer from Dai Nippon Screen Manufacturing Co.

Dupont worked with Dai Nippon Screen to develop a multi-nozzle printer for the new inks. The Dai Nippon printer generates a continuous stream of ink, rather than droplets, and moves over a surface at rates of four to five meters per second while patterning a display.

Dupont announced new record lifetime performance in printed OLEDs for displays. They say that this is sufficient for OLED TVs. The new Gen 3 solution-processable OLEDs offer 29,000 hours for red, 110,000 for green and 34,000 for blue (at typical TV brightness levels). This is enough for 8 hours  per day over 15 years...

Back in 2009, Dupont reported even better lifetime for OLEDs. But these new materials can be used in a printing process, which should make it cheaper and easier to produce OLED TV displays. DuPont has produced some test devices with the new materials and will show them at SID.

Dupont announced new silver conductive inks for printed electronics, which can be used for OLEDs and touch screens. The new screen printable inks include: DuPont 7723, a low temperature firing silver ink suitable for printing on glass, and DuPont
9169, a low temperature curing Ag ink designed for flexible substrates.

The 7723 ink delivers excellent adhesion to Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) coated glass, it is lead-free and solderable, ideal for use in Touch Screen devices. The 9169 has extremely high conductivity, strong adhesion to ITO coated flexible substrates, low contact resistance to ITO, and fine line capability. Both products are recommended where high performance on coated substrates is critical, such as in Touch Screens and OLEDs.

DuPont are working on a new OLED (and CIGS solar cells) barrier technology that uses thin layers of ceramic and polymer materials instead of glass. They hope that they'll be able to demo a tool in 2010. Commercialization is expected within a few years.

DuPont says that the new barrier will be cheaper than glass, weight less, and be flexible. DuPont is working under a DOE grant.