Phosphorescent - Page 8

Universal Display reported its financial results for Q2 2018 - with revenues of $56.1 million and a net profit of $10.8 million (without the impact of UDC's new accounting system, the revenues would have been $73.6 million and the net income $25.1 million).

UDC says that the first quarter was the bottom for material shipments for 2018, in Q2 materials sales improved and the company believes that the second half of 2018 will see more growth as it anticipates new OLED smartphones from leading brands - including Apple, Google, Samsung and more. UDC estimates that for 2019, the install base of OLED capacity by meters will increase by around 50% compared to 2017.

German TADF developer Cynora presented its latest blue TADF material in May 2018 - with a CIEy of 0.14, EQE of 20% and a lifetime of 20 hours LT97 at 700 nits. Cynora expects to have blue material in the mass production by 2020.

Cynora's Chief Marketing Offer, Dr. Andreas Haldi was kind enough to answer a few questions we had regarding TADF emitters, the differences between next-generation emitter technologies, lifetime, color points and more.

China-based OLED producer Visionox signed a long-term licensing and material purchase agreements with Universal Display. UDC will supply its phosphorescent OLED materials to Visionox. UDC did not disclose the details or financial terms of these agreements. This follows the evaluation agreement signed by UDC and Visionox in February 2018.

Visionox is producing PMOLEDs, AMOLEDs and flexible AMOLEDs, and the company demonstrated some very impressive displays at SID Displayweek last month. Last month Visionox announced that it has started to produce flexible OLEDs at its new 6-Gen fab in Hebei.

Researchers from the Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona and TU-Dresden have demonstrated that ultra-stable film formation can be used to to improve the performance of OLED devices.

The researchers grew (using evaporation) the organic materials as ultrastable glasses - a growth condition that allows for thermodynamically most stable amorphous solids. Testing four different phosphorescent emitters, the researchers show significant (over 15%) increases of efficiency and operational stability. The researchers also say that these growing conditions are expected to even be more useful for TADF materials.

Researchers from the University of Michigan developed a new method to cost-effectively extra more light out of OLED displays. To achieve that, the researchers used a Sub-Electrode Micro-Lens Array (SEMLA) placed between the bottom transparent ITO electrode and the glass substrate. Testing on green and white PHOLEDs, the researchers say the SEMLA enhanced light output by a factor of 2.8 (green) and 3.1 (white) compared to a similar device without the lens array.

The researcher say that such an array can be fully transparent and has no impact on the sharpness of the display. The hexagonal array of 10 um lenses can be fabricated using conventional photolithography methods which are quite cost effective. Such a micro-lens array does not change the actual OLED production process.

Researchers from Samsung Electronics and the Ewha Womans University in Korea collaborated in a new study of the degradation in blue phosphorescence OLED materials. This study demonstrate the importance of controlling exciton-induced electron transfer, and more importantly provides strategies for the design of longer-lasting blue PHOLED materials.

The researchers say that the study reveals the charge-neutral generation of polaron pairs (radical ion pairs) by electron transfer from the dopant to host excitons. According to the study, device lifetime correlates linearly with the rate constant for the annihilation of the radical ion pair.

Universal Display reported its financial results for Q4 2017. Revenues reached a record $115.9 million, up 55% from $74.6 million in Q4 2016. Revenues from material sales were $59.8 million (up 105% from $29.2 million in Q4 2016). Net income was $57.9 million (up from $23.1 million in Q4 2016).

UDC concluded a very successful 2017. Revenues were $335.6 million (up 68% from $198.9 in 2016) and net income was $103.9 million (up from $48.1 million in 2016). Net income included a onetime charge of $11.5 million from the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act. Net cash generated in 2017 was $133 million.

Universal Display announced that it has signed long-term OLED material supply and license agreements with Samsung Display. UDC will continue to supply its PHOLED phosphorescent OLED materials and technology to Samsung Display for use in its OLED displays. The agreements are scheduled to run through December 31, 2022, and may be extended for an additional two-year period.

UDC did not disclose the financial terms of these new agreements, but we do know that Samsung will pay a license fee throughout the agreement period. The previous UDC-SDC agreement ended on December 31st 2017, but for the past month and a half the two companies still conducted business of course as SDC's OLED production was not halted.

Universal Display announced that Visionox (GVO) signed an OLED evaluation agreement. Under this agreement, UDC will supply GVO with its phosphorescent OLED materials for display applications. UDC did not provide any more details or financial terms.

Visionox started mass producing AMOLED panels in June 2015, at the company's Gen-5.5 AMOLED line in Kunshan. Visionox is also constructing a $4.5 billion 6-Gen production line in Hebei that will have a monthly capacity of 30,000 substrates, and will be mainly used to produce flexible AMOLEDs. Production should begin in mid-2018.

Universal Display announced today that Sharp has signed an extended and updated evaluation agreement. Under this new agreement, UDC will supply its phosphorescent OLED materials and technology to Sharp Corporation for use in the Company’s OLED displays. Details and financial terms of the agreement have not been disclosed.

Sharp recently confirmed that the company aims to start commercial OLED production in Q1 2018 in its Osaka fab and will introduce new smartphones with its own OLED in June or July of 2018. In October 2016 Sharp announced that it will invest $570 million and build OLED pilot lines at its plants in Osaka and in the Mie Prefecture.