The OLED-Info newsletter (October 19, 2021)

UK-based OTFT display backplane developer SmartKem announced that it has signed a joint development agreement with Taiwan-based PMOLED-maker RiTdisplay, for the production of OTFT-based AMOLED display prototypes.

SmartKem's technology could enable RiTDisplay to produce AMOLED displays at a lower cost, and, moresignificantly using its own PMOLED production line without the large investment needed for an LTPS AMOLED Line. The current agreement includes a prototype display development, it will have to be seen whether it will be expanded in the future for actual production.

UBI Research estimates that Samsung Display shipped 124.76 million smartphone AMOLED panels in Q3 2021, an increase of 24.6% from the previous quarter, enjoying high demand from Apple for its iPhone 13 series.

SDC produced and shipped 62.63 million rigid panels (or about 50% of its total shipments), for low-end and mid-tier smartphones. Flexible OLED shipments were 58.2 million units (out of which 39.31 million went to Apple), and foldable OLEDs shipments reached 3.93 million units.

In February 2019 LG Display started producing its 55" FHD 38% transparent commercial OLED displays, and the company recently announced several projects that utilize its 55" transparent OLED displays.

One of these projects is the installation of transparent OLEDs on subway train windows in China - in Beijing and Shenzhen. We now learn that the Moscow Metro has launched a pilot project, in which transparent OLED displays were installed in the windows of the cars on the Line 7 of the Moscow Metro.

Panasonic announced a new thermoset stretchable film for printed electronics, called Beyolex. Panasonic targets several applications for its new film, including OLED substrates and encapsulation film.

Beyolex is based on a proprietary non-silicone thermoset polymer chemistry developed by Panasonic researchers at the company's Electronic Materials laboratory in Osaka, Japan. The film features softness, conformability, high temperature resistance, and ultra-low permanent deformation after stretching.

According to reports from Korea, P&H Tech signed a long-term contact with Dupont, for the supply of OLED materials. The deal, worth $6 million USD (paid up front), will last until 2028.

It is not clear what kind of materials will P&H Tech supply - whether these will be OLED intermediates or OLED stack materials, as P&H supplies both. The company did say that the materials it will supply to Dupont "can improve the life and luminance of OLED panels".

DSCC says that LG Display continues to improve the production at its 8.5-Gen WOLED TV fab in Guangzhou, and it finally managed to have the production cost in China be lower than a comparable OLED TV made in Korea.

DSCC estimates that the production cost in China by the end of 2021 will be 13-14% lower than that of LG's Korea fabs.