Toshiba - Page 2

Last week we reported that Japan Display (the new small/medium display maker that merged Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba's businesses) may consider to accelerate OLED mass production in a $2.7 billion investment in R&D and production. JD also bought Panasonic's Mobara 6-Gen a-Si LCD plant.

Today we hear reports that JD will convert the new plant to LTPS, and will later use this plant to produce AMOLED displays. It seems that those plans aren't final, but JD's CEO said that the company could start mass producing OLEDs by 2013. If JD does decide to convert that 6-Gen plant to AMOLED production, this will be the largest AMOLED plant currently planned for small/medium panels (Samsung and LG are both building 8-Gen plants, but these will be used for OLED TV panels).

Update: according to new reports, JD may convert the Panasonic plant to LTPS and later to AMOLED production, which may start in 2013...

There are reports that Japan Display (the new small/medium display maker that merged Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba's businesses) plans to accelerate OLED mass production. They plan to invest $1.3 billion in OLED R&D (which probably includes pilot production plants), and later on invest a further $1.4 billion towards mass production. We don't know when they actually plan to start producing panels.

Back in September, when Japan Display was just formed, representatives from Sony, Hitachi and Toshiba said that they certainly consider OLEDs to be the 'core technology' of the next generation small size and medium size displays, and will invest in OLED R&D. It's good to hear that now they are accelerating those plans.

Toshiba has developed a new 6.1" LTPS LCD panel that features 2560x1600 resolution - that's 498 ppi. The panel also features 1,000:1 contrast ratio, 16.7 million colors and 176-degrees viewing angles.

Toshiba wouldn't say whether they have plans to commercialize this display...

Yesterday we reported that Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi have signed an agreement to establish a new small/medium display business. Today we read some updates regarding the OLED plans of this new company.

Sony hybrid printed OLED prototype

They certainly consider OLEDs to be the 'core technology' of the next generation small size and medium size displays, and will invest in OLED R&D. Interestingly Sony says that their current OLED program focuses on larger OLED panels (17", 24") and so this business will remain at Sony. However they will provide technical OLED support for the new company. Sony is also considering transferring OLED patents to the new company.

As we reported back in June, Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi have signed an agreement to establish a new small/medium display business - with aims to be the world's largest producer of touch LCD displays. The new company will invest in advanced R&D, focusing on next-generation technologies, including high resolution and thin OLEDs. 

Sony hybrid printed OLED prototype

Japan's government fund Innovation Network Corporation (INCJ) will invest around ¥200 billion (around $2.5 billion) in the new company and will own 70% of the shares. The rest will be split evenly between Sony, Toshiba and Hitachi, who will transfer all their related technology and their shares in their small/medium display subsidiaries.

Remember Toshiba's portable OLED lamp? Universal Display donated OLED materials and technology for those lamps. It seems that Toshiba made the actual panels (which was a surprise to us because we didn't know they had an OLED lighting program) as UDC provided only knowhow and materials. This is the first time we hear of a collaboration between UDC and Toshiba, but we don't know whether it extends beyond this specific project.

Toshiba will make 100 units of this lamp, and donate these to quake-hit areas (50 units were already donated to the evacuation center in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture). Toshiba has no plans to sell these to consumers.

Update: This news is now official.

There are reports that Hitachi is in talks with Sony and Toshiba to join their upcoming small/medium display joint venture. The new company aims to be the world's largest producer of touch LCD displays, and will also develop and produce OLED displays.

Sony hybrid printed OLED prototype

Japan's government fund Innovation Network Corporation (INCJ) will fund the new company and own around 70%-80%. Originally they planned to invest around ¥100 billion (around $1.25 billion), but if Hitachi will join this may double to $2.5 billion. The extra money will reportedly be used to expand OLED capacity.

Update: we've got some more info about the new joint venture, see below

There's an interesting report that Sony and Toshiba plan to join forces in a new display unit, aiming for small/medium displays (for mobile phones and tablets). According to the report, the new unit will establish an OLED fab in Higashiura, Japan. In fact once they setup the new unit, Toshiba Mobile Display (TMDisplay) and Sony Mobile Display will cease to exist. The new unit will be in charge of all OLED R&D by both companies. Interestingly, the Innovation Network Corp (a Japanese government fund) will fund the new company and will own around 70%-80%.

Sony hybrid printed OLED prototype

Sony is already producing OLEDs in a very small scale (mostly for their high-end broadcasting monitors) while Toshiba's mobile display unit (TMDisplay) scrapped their OLED plan back in October 2010 to focus on LCDs. It'll be great news if these two companies will indeed start to mass produce OLED displays.

Toshiba developed a new portable OLED lamp - and they will make 100 units of this lamp, and donate these to quake-hit areas (50 units were already donated to the evacuation center in Kesennuma City, Miyagi Prefecture). Toshiba has no plans to sell these to consumers. The lamps run from either four AAA alkaline batteries or from the embedded rechargeable battery - and Toshiba bundle the lamp with a solar-panel (it can also be recharged via a USB port).

The lamp measure 146x100x18.5mm (at the thickest part) and weight 180g without the batteries. There are no details about the OLED panel itself, which is made by Toshiba. We only know that lamp brightness is 53 lm (similar to a desk lamp) with 100% brightness, it can be dimmed to 30% or 10%.

Update: We have some info and a new photo of Toshiba's flexible OLED prototype. See below.

Toshiba is showing an ultra thin (0.1mm) 3" flexible OLED panel prototype (160x120) that weights just one gram. The OLED is built using an oxide semiconductor TFT (IGZO) unto a plastic substrate. Toshiba says that they will be able to start producing displays based on this production method by 2014 or 2015.

Toshiba's OLED uses white OLED material with color filters. The architecture is bottom-emission. Toshiba says that the managed to lower the process temperature to 200°C, and so were able to use the plastic substrate.