The SOLEDLIGHT (Solution Processed OLEDs for Lighting) project was launched in 2015 by a European consortium with an aim to develop cost efficient, roll-to roll (R2R) solution processed OLEDs, including their integration in prototype multiple-panel OLED lighting systems and luminaires.

The SOLEDLIGHT consortium (which is coordinated by the University of Valencia and includes OSRAM and Solvay) reported that it managed to develop multi-layer R2R solution processed OLEDs that achieved a power efficiency of 20 lm/W. This is still not up to par with evaporation-based OLEDs, but the project partners aim to achieve 100 lm/W (and 15,000 hours) by the end of 2017.

DSCC released a new market report which tracks the OLED materials market. According to DSCC's estimates, the OLED material revenues will reach $905 million in 2017 and will grow at a 20% CAGR to reach $2.25 billion in 2022. Note that these numbers do not include royalty payments.

DSCC sees the small/medium display materials growing at a 22% (from $586 million in 2017 to $1.56 billion in 2022) - and growing faster than OLED TV materials (CAGR 16%) as ink jet printing, which will begin to be adopted in 2020 will result in more efficient OLED deposition.

Visionox participated at the 19th China International Hi-Tech Fair opened in Shenzhen, and the company demonstrated several new OLED prototype panels. Visionox demonstrate several "full-screen" AMOLEDs, including a 6.01" one and a 5.99" flexible one.

According to the Chinese report, Visionox has stated its flexible OLED "roadmap" as the company wants to start with curved panels, then move to foldable and finally to stretchable displays. Visionox says it has achieved mass production technology for curved OLEDs, but according to our information its first flexible AMOLED fab will only begin production in the summer of 2018.

The Holst Centre is demonstrating a new optimized encapsulation (barrier) layer for foldable OLED panels. The new barrier is made from an organic layer sandwiched between two layers of silicon nitride (SiN). These are standard materials, but by optimizing the stack design the researchers at the Holst Centre were able to control its mechanical properties and create a much more flexible barrier.

The Holst researchers used an organic material that can withstand 400 °C and can be applied by slot-die coating. This allows the SiN layers to be deposited at 350 °C, improving their quality and ability to prevent water penetration. The Holst tested the OLED prototypes that use the new barrier for 1,000 hours (in accelerated lifetime testing) and no black spots appeared, even after 10,000 folding cycles (bending radiud 0.5 mm).

In January 2015 the EU launched a new project to develop next-generation large-area OLED microdisplays. The so-called LOMID (Large cost-effective OLED microdisplays and their applications) project's main goal is to produce 13x21 mm (~1-inch diagonal) 1200x1920 (2,300 PPI) 120Hz curved OLED microdisplay.

Dr. Uwe Fogel, the project's coordinator from the Fraunhofer FEP institute, updated today that the consortium managed to produce the first microdisplay samples at satisfactory yields, and it is now improving these yields. LOMID partners are already demonstrating the microdisplays in smart glasses for both VR and visually-impaired people.

SCREEN Finetech Solutions (a subsidiary of Screen Holdings) launched a new OLED deposition system specifically designed for 6-Gen (1500x1850 mm) substrates.

The SK-E1500G makes full use of mini-environment technologies to effectively control contamination created by suspended particles in gas and chemical elements and static electricity occurring during the production process. The system is based on SCREEN FT's Levicoater slit type coating unit. The SK-E1500H also incorporates advanced transport technologies that enable it to perform simultaneous processing of two 6-gen half-substrates.

UBI Research is tracking the price of premium TV sold on Amazon.com in the US. As competition intensifies, the price gap between OLED and LCD TVs keeps getting lower - to the point where is not much difference between a high end Samsung QLED TV and LG's OLEDC7 OLED TVs.

In December 2016, the price gap between a 65" LG OLED TV to a 65" Samsung SUHD TV was about $1,000. The price gap as of today is only about $300. The price gap for a 55" TV is even lower (around $200).

IHS says that demand for flexible AMOLED displays is growing at a slower pace than expected - and also at a slower rate than its supply, and as a result the demand in 2018 will be 44% lower than the supply.

IHS says that flexible OLED capacity will grow 100% in 2018 (to reach 4.4 million square meters), but demand will only grow 70% (to 2.4 million square meters). IHS says that the high price of flexible OLEDs caused smartphone makers to opt for either rigid (glass-based) OLEDs or LCDs in their 2018 models. IHS estimates that the price gap between a flexible OLED and a rigid OLED on the same 6-Gen line is about 50%.

KGI Securities analyst Ming-Chi Kuo estimates that Apple will launch three new iPhone models in 2018. Two of these will sport OLED displays, the 5.8" and 6.5" models. According to Kuo, all of Apple's iPhones in 2018 will have the same full-screen notched design used in the iPhone X.

Note that the image above, produced by KGI, is just a render. Kuo sees the 5.8" iPhone (X2?) using the same resolution as the iPhone X (1125x2436, 458 PPI). The 6.5" model will actually sport a higher density (480 to 500 PPI).

LG Display published three very nice videos showcasing three new OLED lighting installations. First up is an OLED chandelier that was specifically designed for the presidential suite suite in the Landmark Mandarin Oriental Hotel in Hong Kong.

As you can see in the video above, the Chandelier has a unique design that uses 36 modules each with 4 OLED Panels (for a total of 144 10x10 cm panels). The project managers (TELCS Lighting Design and Consutancy) and the chandelier designer (Joyce Wang Studio) say that only OLED lighting panels provided them with the light quality and design possibilities that they wanted.