A Walk Down Memory Lane - Q2 2026: OLED History from 20, 10, and 5 Years Ago

In our OLED history article series, we look back 20, 10, and 5 years ago, and revisit the history of the OLED industry. We hope these are articles are nostalgic, and fun - but also informative - by reflecting on the past, we can better understand how far the industry has come and where it is headed. 

20 years ago - Q2 2006

In early 2006, the industry was still at a very early stage, mostly focused on PMOLED production and microdisplays. In may 2006, Universal Display reported revenues of $3.2 million in revenues from the quarter - mostly from grants, projects and development materials. This is far from its current $170 million quarter, but it was actually more than double its Q2 2005 revenues. In Q2 2006, UDC started working with Mitsubishi on inkjet printing materials, and with Nippon Steel Chemicals on evaporation materials. We posted an interview with UDC's VP Janice Mahone - this is an interesting read from a 20 years perspective. The company was already getting ready for Samsung's 2007 AMOLED production.

UDC's main rival at the time, Cambridge Display Technology (CDT) was announcing progress with its polymer-OLED material platform. It has reported advances in its inkjet printing project, and sales testing systems and inkjet printers. The company's financials were still restricted though, and already then we could see UDC's revenues rising faster. Together with Toppan Printing, CDT demonstrated a 5.5" (400x234) PLED AMOLED, produced using printing technologies.