Sumitomo Chemical - Page 6

Researchers at Sumitomo Chemical and Mitsubishi Chemical are working on "spreadable" OLED displays, that will also double as solar-panels - they might be self powered in this way. The displays can be "painted" on any material, creating a 100nm thin display.

The companies actually claim to work towards prototypes in 2 years.

Sumitomo Chemical said that in 2009, it plans to launch the production and sales of large-screen OLED display panels for use in televisions of 40 inches or larger. They are also considering forming alliances for the development of the panels.

In November 2007 Sony has started to sell their 11" OLED TV (the XEL-1). This is an exciting move by Sony, but this cannot be considered a real commercial OLED TV. They are only producing 2,000 of those units monthly, the price is extremely high - around 1,800$ for a 11" TV (and Sony admits they are losing money on each unit). Even the power consumption of those TVs is rather high - higher than compatible LCDs.

But still Sony is clearly committed to OLEDs - and it seems like they are betting the future of their TV business on OLEDs. Sony were late to the Flat-Panel TV "party" and are no longer considered innovators. Now they are trying to be in the forefront of the technology again, and OLEDs is their technology of choice.

Data from spin coated devices using a common cathode and interlayer material demonstrate lifetimes for recently developed solution-processable green and red PLED materials of 78,000 hours and 67,000 hours, respectively, from an initial luminance of 1000 candelas per square meter, or cd/m2. This is equivalent to approximately 445,000 hours and 420,000 hours from an operating brightness of 400 cd/m² for these materials.

These latest lifetimes represent a 60% and 280% increase in performance for green and red materials over results that were announced in May and March of this year, respectively.

Total revenues for the second quarter of 2007 were $2.7 million, compared with $2.7 million for the same period last year. The increase in revenue for equipment and supplies caused by a major ink sale in the second quarter of 2007 was offset by slightly reduced license revenue.

Gross profit decreased from $2.4 million in the second quarter of 2006 to $1.9 million in the second quarter of 2007 due to lower margins in technology, services, development, equipment and supplies revenue.

"We will commercialize a display, which is not a TV, in 2008. Then in 2009 to 2010, we will strive to release an organic EL TV product." He explained that the color purity of emitted RGB light is equivalent to that of low-molecular organic EL materials.

"We consider developing not only materials but also application devices since we recently begun to know we can also extend a life and efficiency by changing the material's structure," he said, citing the green organic EL material's light-emitting efficiency as the company's current challenges to be addressed.

Sumitomo Chemical announced that it is going to acquire Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) for $12 per share in cash - for a total of around $285 million. This represents a 107% premium over CDT's 90-day average closing share price.

Sumitomo says that it is considering its display materials business as one of its strategically important business area and an area of focus for the business resources. They expect the OLED market to see considerable market growth in the future. Sumitomo is already collaborating with CDT.

According to Digitimes, Sumitomo Chemical will invest 40M$ in an OLED production line in Japan, and will start to produce panels in 2008.

Read more here (Digitimes)

In addition to its development of OLED displays, Epson has researched the characteristics of OLED as an electronic device. Specifically, Epson has succeeded in creating a print head that uses OLED as a light source (OLED print head), opening the way for utilization of OLED as a new printing technology for printers.

At present, electro-photographic printing technologies for copiers and printers use either laser or LED light sources. Epson merged the many years of expertise it had accumulated in printing and display technology, and partnered with Sumitomo Chemical Co., Ltd. to jointly develop a super bright OLED that can be used in printing. Printing tests using a prototype of an OLED-based print head have produced printouts quality comparable to or better than those produced by conventional laser printers.

CDT welcomes the announcement by Sumation - its joint venture partner with Sumitomo Chemical - of rapid progress in the development of long lifetime, high efficiency light emitting polymers for full color, video capable PLED displays.

Following a previous announcement in December, CDT now reports the achievement of blue fluorescent devices (CIEx=0.14, y=0.21) with 12,500 hours lifetime(1) from an initial luminance of 400 cd/m², and an efficiency of 9cd/A.