Manufacturing equipment companies

Germany-based 3D-Micromac AG develops develops and manufactures processes and laser systems for leading-edge processes. 3D-Micromac targets a wide range of industries, including semiconductor, photovoltaic, glass and display industry, electronics, as well as medical device technology.

For OLED manufacturing, 3D-Micromac offers a variety of industrial laser solutions such as:

• Laser separation systems for glass panels
• Laser cutting machines for ultra-thin glass and glass polymer stacks
• Laser Lift-Off (LLO) which guarantees a highly uniform, force-free lift-off of different layers on wafer, panel and flexible substrates
• ITO/TCO laser patterning systems or rigid and flexible substrates
• Laser cutting of flexible substrates and material stacks.

4JET Technologies GmbH, based in Germany, supplies laser equipment for thin-film applications. 4JET supplies production equipment for laser patterning of OLED and OPV, laser drilling and cutting of substrate glass, Reel-2-Reel machinery for flexible electronics and innovative laser processes such as annealing or crystallization.

4JET's machine platforms supports processing of rigid glass and flexible substrates both in atmosphere and vacuum and integrates laser processes into turnkey production systems that may also include printing, marking and quality control modules.

Accent Pro 2000 (AP2K) is a private company based in Romania that specialized in developing X-ray digital imaging systems for application in Non-Destructive Testing and Security.

AP2K, together with other European partners have developed (under a European Framework 7 funded project called PlastronicsSpec) a digital X-Ray system for real time NDT inspection of OLED displays.

The new equipment is able to X-Ray scan flexible or glass OLED displays having maximum size of 600 mm X 600 mm, obtaining sample 2D X-ray images with resolution up to 1 micron. The investigation technique is fully automatic, the sample's defects are detected by continuously comparing display's each pixel cell with a reference cell image.

Aixtron AG is a provider of deposition equipment to the semiconductor industry. The company's technology solutions are used by a diverse range of customers world wide to build advanced components for electronic and opto-electronic applications (such as LEDs, micro-LEDs and graphene) based on compound, silicon, or organic semiconductor materials.

Aixtron has introduced Organic Vapor Phase Deposition (OVPD) equipment, which was exclusively licensed to Aixtron by UDC. In October 2014 we posted an interview with AIXTRON's business development director and he explains the company's OLED technology and business.

Aixtron trades in the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, and in the NASDAQ Stock Exchange (AIXG). In 2017 Aixtron's OLED activities were spun-off to APEVA, which was later shut down.

Established in 1994 in Korea, AP Systems (APS) provides manufacturing equipment for the semiconductor and display industries.

For the OLED industry, AP Systems provides ELA and LLA systems and OLED encapsulation systems.

Applied Materials is developing and marketing equipment, services and software for manufacturing of semiconductors, displays and PV products. Applied Materials offers LTPS deposition system that can used to produce AMOLED and LCD displays.

Applied is based in Santa Clara, California, US and trades in the Nasdaq (ticker AMAT).

Avaco is a specialized equipment and system maker, developing equipment mostly for the display and solar industries.

Avaco offers encapsulation and evaporation system for OLED display makers.

Calvary Automation Systems is a manufacturer of special turnkey process systems. The company delivers machines, tooling and software solutions for a wide variety of automated machinery and machined components. Several of Calvary Automation's customers are in the display industry and specifically in the OLED sector.

Calvary supplies production and process equipment for OLED assembly and testing in full automation. The company also providers OLED-related product and periphery, and OLED assembly on an existing product.

Canon ANELVA (ANalysis ELectronics VAcuum) Corporation manufactures vacuum equipment used for the fabrication of semiconductors and flat panel displays.

For the OLED industry, Canon ANELVA offers Physical vapor deposition (PVD) machines.

Canon Tokki (wholly-owned by Canon) manufactures vacuum process equipment and factory automation systems for the OLED market and thin-film PV market.

Canon Tokki developed the first OLED mass production system back in 1999, which processed both OLED / electrode material deposition and encapsulation by one system.

Tokki's OLED production systems has been delivered OLED manufactures in Japan, Korea and Taiwan. In March 2007 we interviewed Tokki's overseas sales manager. In 2016 Tokki has seen a massive increase in orders and the company plans to double its own production capacity by the end of 2016.

Choshu Industry, established in 1980 in Japan, produces and markets semiconductor manufacturing equipment.

For the OLED industry, Choshu offers custom-designed mass production organic materials evaporation systems and also sputtering systems used for both R&D and mass production of OLED devices.

One of Choshu's target markets is the OLED microdisplay market. Its 8-inch deposition systems was deployed at BOE's microdisplay fab, and its Low Damage sputtering equipment (LDSP) was also bought by BOE to be used in its 12-inch production line for TCO sputtering.

US-based Cognex is a provider of vision systems, software, sensors, and industrial barcode readers used in manufacturing automation.

For OLED producers, Cognex provides gauging tools to determine the accuracy of alignment tasks and to assess repeatability. Cognex's machine vision can provide 100% in-line monitoring of the OLED assembly process and calculate CPK measurement, at any stage of production.

Colnatec researches, designs, and manufactures film thickness monitoring and controlling instruments for hard to measure thin films including CIGS, OLED, and high temperature processes.

The company makes innovative products for vapor phase processes including ALD (atomic layer deposition), CVD (chemical vapor deposition), and high temperature selenium deposition. Colnatec's inventive product line includes patented, high-accuracy quartz crystal microbalances (QCM), sensor hardware (sensor heads), and monitoring and controlling electronics designed to produce accurate measurements of deposition flux for process monitoring and feedback control.

Colnatec lists Samsung as a customer since the company started producing sensors in 2010. They also say that the received orders for advanced sensor technology from seven major OLED manufacturing organizations, research institutions, and system builders in Europe and Asia.

Israel-based CoreFlow develops and manufactures advanced handling and conveying solutions for FPD and PV equipment makers. CoreFlow's air floating solutions are used in over 500 fabs worldwide - including the display fabs of Samsung, LG, Panasonic, Sony and Sharp.

For the OLED industry, CoreFlow offers its air floating solutions that can be integrated into inspection systems, slit coating systems and fab automation systems.

CreaPhys was founded in 1999 as a spin-off from TU Dresden (Dresden University of Technology). The company provides solutions in the field of material purification and organic thin film deposition, with a focus on the purification of organic compounds for use in organic electronic devices.

The company caters for the OLED display and OLED lighting markets.

In 2016 CreaPhys was acquired by MBraun.

Japan-based Dai Nippon Printing, established in 1876, is a printing company that operates in three markets - information communications, lifestyle and industrial supplies and electronics.

Dai Nippon is the world's leader in evaporation masks for OLED production, and in 2016 the company announced it will triple its mask production to support the expected growth in OLED capacity.

US-based Denton Vacuum provides vacuum-based production systems for the the optoelectronic and semiconductor markets.

Denton Vacuum offers encapsulation systems for OLED microdisplay makers, based on its patented PVD and CVD technologies.