Plastic - Page 7

Just before SID, the Flexible Display Center (FDC) at Arizona State University (ASU) announced that they managed to fabricate the world's largest (7.4") flexible (bendable) OLED using Mixed-Oxide TFTs. Those MO-TFTs deliver high performance (fast switching speeds and reduced power consumption), are quite cost-effective and can be produced on existing a-Si production lines. The FDC demonstrated this panel at SID.

This OLED panel was developed with funding from the US Army features 480x360 (81 ppi) resolution, has an Oxide-TFT (IGZO) backplane and is built on a PEN (polyethylene naphthalate) substrate. It was developed in collaboration with Universal Display, DuPont (Teijin film), Sunic and Henkel.

Universal Display and L-3 Display Systems have delivered an unbreakable plastic-based knee-mounted AMOLED display system prototype to the US Air Force. The project aims to build an ejection-safe electronic flight bag system designed to replace the paper maps and checklists traditionally held on the pilot’s knee.

The display (which uses UDC's PHOLED materials) is 4.3" in size and features 480x320 resolution on a plastic substrate system. This is the third product design that UDC and L-3 has developed. Back in October 2010, together with LG they delivered 8 flexible wrist-worn prototypes (also 4.3" but with lower resolution: 320x240). Interestingly, back in 2009 UDC was awarded $750,000 to develop an ejection-safe display for the US Air Force, but back then the project called for a 6" display.

OLEDNet posted an article with some new details about LG's upcoming 3.5-Gen flexible OLED line in LG's Paju plant (E2), Korea. According to the report, LG contracted Jusung Engineering and Avaco to supply the equipment. Both companies will supply encapsulation equipment. The deals are worth 11.4 billion Won (about $10 million) for Jusung and 7.6 billion Won ($6.7 million) for Avaco.

OLEDNet says that total cost for this new line (which is actually an extension of the existing pilot line) is worth 200 billion Won ($176 million).

Samsung is getting ready to release flexible OLEDs soon, and have announced that these displays will be branded as YOUM displays. Today the OLED association released some interesting information regarding Samsung's flexible OLED manufacturing program. According to this report, products that use these displays will be introduced in Q4 2012, while mass production will begin as early as next month.

Back in May 2011 Samsung announced a joint venture with Japan's Ube Kosan to develop and produce polyimide resin - to be used as substrates for their flexible displays in a $18 million investment. Now we hear that the curing equipment for the hardened polyimide will be provided by Korea's Tera Semicon.

There are reports that Samsung will brand its flexible OLEDs as YOUM displays. Samsung plans to release these OLEDs in 2012, so it makes sense that they will prepare a marketing campaign soon.

The first products to use the new flexible OLEDs will probably be mobile phones, followed by tablets and other mobile devices. It may be that the Samsung S3 will be the first phone to sport such a display.

LG Display announced today that they have started to produce 6" E Ink panels on a plastic substrate. Those displays will be used in e-readers, and the first one (from a Chinese based ODM) will be released in Europe next month. The panel features XGA (1024x768) resolution and is only 0.7 mm thick and weighs just 14 grams - half the weight of a glass based E Ink panel.

If true, this will be the first time that a plastic based E Ink is in production, and this means that LGD is quite advanced in its plastic substrate program - which they also plan to use for OLED displays. LG Display is reportedly building a pilot 3.5-Gen (730 × 460 mm) flexible OLED production line. They have ordered the equipment, which will arrive by 3Q 2012, and the line will become active by the end of 2012. It was reported that it will take LG another 1-2 years to fully develop the technology, but LG Display is trying to accelerate the development.

Last week we reported that Sumitomo Chemical is planning to start mass producing OLED lighting panels later in 2012 based on their PLED technology in a ¥5-6 billion ($60-70 million) investement. Now Sumitomo finally announced that they plan to unveil panels at the L+B 2012 exhibition, and also unveiled a web page with lot's of info on their PLED lighting program. It seems that the company will commercial PLED panels for "decorative lighting" in 2013, and for general lighting in 2015.

In L+B2012 Sumitomo will show new PLED panels that are about 10 centimeters square each. There will be panels in sixty different colors, which are made using printing technology (all layers except the electrodes). The booth was designed by world-renowned Japanese lighting designer Motoko Ishii, with the theme The Colors of Japan The Colors of Harmony, in an innovative attempt to replicate—by means of lighting—the elegant and refined colors of ancient Japan in a modern day setting of a Japanese traditional tearoom. Here's what the booth will look like:

There are reports that LG Group's chairman Koo Bon-moo requested LG Electronics for an early release of the 55" OLED TV. Originally LGE planned to release in the second half of 2012.

LG's 55" 55EM9600 is using a WOLED-CF design on an Oxide-TFT backplane. The panel is only 4mm thick, and the whole TV weighs just 7.5Kg. Analysts expect it to cost around $8,000.

The Holst Centre and Solvay report advances in flexible OLED lighting panels. They present a bendable 69 cm² OLED panel that features 30 lm/W efficiency at 1000 cd/m²:

Cambrios announces a new CEO and a $5 million investment from Samsung Ventures. Cambrios reveals that they were in close discussions with Samsung for collaboration on "important and valuable" projects over the past several years. Cambrios' first product, ClearOhm is a coating material for plastic or glass that produces a transparent, conductive film by wet processing. Cambrios says that ClearOhm offers significantly higher optical and electrical performance than currently used materials (such as ITO).

ClearOhm can be used in OLED panels, LCDs, e-paper displays and solar panels. Perhaps Samsung wants to use this new material in upcoming OLED panel designs. Cambrios is also collaborating with Plextronics on OLED lighting electrodes.