OLED production

LG Display announced that it has developed and deployed a new AI system that will improve its OLED production process. The system collects and analyzes OLED process manufacturing data in real-time. When the system finds anomalies in the OLED manufacturing process, it can alert in real time, and even find solutions.

LG Display says that since the introduction of this new AI system, its ability to analyze process data has been enhanced, significantly improving both manufacturing speed and accuracy. The time required to analyze and improve the causes of quality anomalies has been reduced from an average of three weeks to two days.

A few weeks ago it was reported that Apple is aiming to develop a lower-cost VR headset, and will want to use cheaper OLED microdisplays to replace the high-end Sony OLED microdisplays used in the Vision Pro. It was reported that both Samsung and JDI are in talks with Apple, that aims to achieve a pixel density of 1500 PPI (the Sony microdisplays sport 3,400 PPI). Samsung meanwhile develops its own headsets, and is also working on solutions for other leading companies, such as Microsoft.

A 1.3" 12000 nits OLED microdisplay (Samsung Display)

While Samsung is working on an OLED on silicon microdisplay factory, the company is also looking to start producing high resolution AMOLED displays on glass. According to a new report, Samsung is now looking to build a new AMOLED on glass microdisplay pilot production line in Asan, and later on the company is considering to converts its 5.5-Gen (1300x1500 mm) A2 OLED production line to produce OLED microdisplays. Samsung will have to modify its production process and install new equipment to support the high resolution. The company reportedly aims to order the required  equipment in 2025.

There's an interesting report from Korea's The Elec that details Visionox's upcoming $7.6 billion 8.6-Gen IT AMOLED production line in Hefei. It turns out that Visionox looks into using its ViP maskless OLED production process, for at least some of the panels at its upcoming V5 line.

The V5 production line will have a capacity of 32,000 monthly substrate, with 16,000 in the first phase. It is estimated that around a quarter of that capacity will use the company's ViP process (which could be good news for Applied, the supplier of the ViP deposition equipment). This could become the world's first production line for maskless AMOLED production.

TCL CSoT announced several times in the past that it plans to start producing OLED display using an inkjet printing process by the end of 2024, and yesterday it officially announced it has started mass producing printed OLED displays at its 5.5-Gen production line.

The company brands these displays as APEX OLED displays. In fact it seems as if all of TCL displays (OLEDs and LCDs both) will be branded as APEX OLEDs, with the slogan PACE to APEX.

LG Display announced that it will invest $1 billion to increase its OLED module fab capacity in Vietnam's Hai Phong Economic Zone. This will bring LGD's total investment in Vietnam to date to $5.65 billion.

LG Display first built its Hai Phong facility in 2016, and it then expanded capacity several times. The last capacity increase was announced in 2021.

China-based AMOLED producer Everdisplay is constructing a new 6-Gen production line in Shanghai, an expansion of its existing fab. The company's original plan was to start mass production in December 2024, but it now announced it will delay this and mass production is now only expected in december 2025. This is the second delay of this project.

Everdisplay says that the reason for the delay is that the company wishes to upgrade the line to the latest OLED technologies, such as LTPO backplanes, Tandem stack architecture and a hybrid platform (which means rigid OLEDs with TFE encapsulation and a glass backplane).

According to a report from Korea Samsung Display aims to increase its small-sized and mid-sized AMOLED panels production in 2025 by 10.25% compared to its 2024 production (or 475 million panels up from 432 million panels).

Of course SDC's production plans depend on market demand, but it seems as if the company believes the OLED market is set to grow or that the company aims to grab a larger share of the market. SDC mostly aims to increase production of IT panels (laptops and tablet displays) and foldable smartphone OLED panels.

Towards the end of 2023, BOE officially announced its plans for a 8.6-Gen flexible LTPO AMOLED line in Chengdu. The agreement with Chengdu's local government was signed in early 2024, and in April BOE announced it is starting to construct the new fab. A few weeks ago BOE said it finished the construction of the main outer structure in this project, and that the company is on track to finish the fab by May 2026, with mass production expected by October 2026 - and full production in 2029.

Samsung Display is progressing as planned with its  8.6-Gen AMOLED production line. The company recently completed the installation of all major equipment in the new line, and mass production is still expected to begin in 2026.

Samsung Display is now focusing on testing, calibrating and improving all process steps, as the new fab includes new technologies that haven't been deployed before in OLED production.

The Elec reports that Korea's Chemtronics is constructing a new fab at Sejong City that will be able to etch 8-Gen OLED substrates. This fab is built specifically for Samsung Display's new 8-Gen IT AMOLED line. The Elec said that Chemtronics already spent almost $70 million on this new fab, with Samsung supporting it with an investment as well.

The new fab will receive finished 8-Gen IT TFE rigid AMOLED panels from Samsung Display's upcoming A6 line, on a glass substrate. The new etching fab will reduce the thickness of these OLEDs from 0.5 mm to 0.2 mm, to enable lighter and thinner tablet and laptop OLEDs.