Japan Display to accelerate OLED mass production

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.

Japan Display also announced that it signed a deal to buy Panasonic's LCD plant in Mobara (Chiba Prefecture, Japan). They plan to develop a new manufacturing line in that plant, which probably won't be an OLED line.

Posted: Nov 15,2011 by Ron Mertens