The OLED-Info newsletter (October 1, 2022)

LG Display has equipped a tour bus in Korea's Suwon town with transparent OLED displays, to enable a sort of augmented-reality tour that overlays historic images that simulate life in Suwon in 1795.

LGD says that "historical figures come to life as animated scenes match up with the fortress walls to show them in their original setting. You get to sense what this city would have looked like centuries ago, and how people in traditional dress would have lived and celebrated major events. There’s even a demonstration of old technologies during the tour, with text in Korean and English to guide you along".

A few months ago, Japan Display (JDI) announced that it has developed a "historic breakthrough in display technology" - a new OLED deposition process which they refer to as eLEAP, that is said to be cost effective and can be used to create freeform OLEDs that are brighter, more efficient, and longer lasting compared to OLEDs produced using mask evaporation (FMM).

According to a new report from Korea, Samsung Display is interested in JDI's new technique. Interestingly the report shows conflicting views within SDC - some are interested in adopting this new technology, especially at SDC's upcoming 8-Gen IT OLED production line, while others are more interested in preventing SDC's competitors (JDI, or others?) from using it, perhaps by pressuring OLED equipment makers to not offer needed equipment to JDI.

This is a sponsored post by Merck

Merck inaugurated its first OLED production site in China, that has now begun operations, and it joins Merck’s China-based production of liquid crystals and photoresist materials.

Merck’s local OLED production will give Merck’s China-based and Asia-based customers easier and faster access to OLED materials and a stable and more flexible supply chain.

OLED makers are gearing up to increase production of IT OLED panels, used in laptops, monitors and tablets. Towards that, analysts expects over 10 8.5-Gen OLED lines under consideration now in the industry. This drive is led by Samsung Display that confirmed is is building a 8-Gen (2200x2500 mm) OLED production line, that will begin production in 2024.

A 8-Gen (or actually 8.5-Gen) fab uses 2200x2500mm glass substrates. According to a new report in Korea, Samsung actually decided to adopt a larger glass - a 8.7-Gen 2290x2620 mm. The ~10cm increase will increase production efficiency by around 9%, but this means that current 8.5-Gen LCD equipment that Samsung hoped to use will not be usable any more.

DSCC says that spending on equipment for the production of large area OLED panels (used in TVs and monitors) have decreased from $3 billion in 2019 to $2.05 billion in 2020, $1.47 billion in 2021 and will drop further to $1.42 billion in 2022.

DSCC estimates that in 2023, the spending on such equipment will be zero. But OLED producers will resume buying large OLED equipment in 2024. Spending in 2024 will amount $2.01 billion, and in 2025 - $1.51 billion.

Vivo's X Fold+ is a foldable smartphone that offers a 8.03" 120Hz 1916x2160 foldable LTPO AMOLED display, and a second 6.53" 120Hz 1080x2520 AMOLED cover display.

Other specifications include a Snapdragon 8+ Gen 1 chipset, 12 GB of RAM, 256/512 GB of storage, a quad camera setup, 4,730mAh battery and 80W wired charging.

The X Fold+ will ship on September 29 n China, starting at 9.999 Yuan ($1,400 USD).

The Elec reports that LG Display lowered its internal OLED TV panel shipment goal in 2022, as it realizes it will not be able to ship the 7.8 million panels it hoped for. The TV market in general is seeing lower demand this year, and in addition LGD's hopes to sell panels to Samsung Electronics did not materialize.

Looking to 2023, however, LGD plans to produce 9.2 million OLED TV panels (out of which 5.4 million will be produced at the company's Guangzhou fab).