OLED-Info: the OLED experts

Samsung Display announced that it has employed new materials in its latest OLED stack that enables the display to be 16% more efficient compared to its currently OLEDs. The first phone to adopt the new OLED materials will be the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

SDC did not reveal much about the new materials beyond saying that the new architecture "speeds up electron flows in the display’s organic layers". SDC says it uses a new OLED material, which seems to have been developed in-house (although SDC also says it has been 'closely collaborating with global material companies' to increase its competitive edge). SDC holds over 5,000 OLED material patents.

UK-based SmartKem develops a new class of flexible high-mobility OTFT display backplane technologies. The company provides customized solutions involving molecular synthesis, electronic prototyping and on-site technology transfer support.

As Smartkem is developing new backplane materials for OLEDs, ePaper and mini-LED devices, we discuss its technology and business with the company's CEO and chairman, Ian Jenks.

US-based signage solution provider STRATACACHE is building a MicroLED production line in the US. This is an interesting development in the display industry, which has been almost exclusively centered in Korea, Japan, Taiwan and China. MicroLED displays can be produced using some unique architectures and processes that enable production to be done in places where TFT-based production (of either LCD or OLED displays) has severe challenges.

The new factory will be used to produce a wide range of MicroLED displays, from tablet-sized panels to large-area signage displays, and will be able to produce both flexible and transparent panels. The yearly capacity of the E4 is expected to start at a 1 million square meters per year, and STRATACACHE will be able to supply both components level products and complete display products to third party customers (although it seems as if most production will be used for STRATACACHE's own projects).

According to a report from the Korea Herald, LG Electronics is considering the future of its Smartphone business, and the company's CEO sent a message to staff that says that several options are being considered, including the sale, withdrawal and downsizing the smartphone business.

LG Electronics has lost around $4.5 billion in its smartphone business over the past five years, as competition, especially from China, is strong. In Q3 2020 LG Electronics shipped 6.5 million phones, down from 7.2 million in Q3 2019. LG's global smartphone market share is around 2%.

OLED material developer Cynora announced that it achieved a breakthrough in its deep-green TADF material, which it brands as cyUltimateGreen. The new material delivers an efficiency of over 20% (EQE), a lifetime of 400 hours (LT95@15mA) and a color point and emission spectrum that matches today's DICI-P3 standard (Cynora does not specify the exact number).

Cynora further announced that is now making test kits of the new deep-green emitter available to its customers. Display makers can now start testing and verification using the new material. Cynora says it will also 'soon' follow with a deep-blue TADF solution.

Samsung Display announced it will start to produce 90Hz OLED laptop displays by the end of the first quarter of 2021. The first display panel to support this new refresh rate will be 14-inch in size

SDC hopes that its new AMOLED display panels will introduce a 'major shift' in the laptop market. It believes that even though a 90Hz display will require a high-end graphics card, consumers will demand the new display as the experience benefits will be impressive. Samsung says that its 90Hz OLEDs will be on par with 120Hz LCDs in terms of moving images blur.