Tag Archives: AMOLED

Plastic Logic and Novaled OTFT backplane AMOLED

February 10, 2014

I just came back from the 2014 FLEX conference and the SID LA Symposium. There are many highlights in these 2 conferences. One of the exciting news is about the Organic TFT (OTFT) backplane AMOLED.

On Feb 6th, 2014, Plastic Logic’s director of research and partnerships, Mr. Mike Banach gave a presentation titled “A New Frontier for Flexible Displays”. At the same day, both Plastic Logic and Novaled announced their partnership and their demo of OTFT backplane AMOLED.

Their demo is a monochrome flexible AMOLED, targeting for wearable applications. Plastic Logic’s CEO, Indro Mukerjee, said, “2014 will be the year that wearable technology starts to go mainstream.”

Touch Display Research analyst agrees with that. Touch Display Research forecasts 30 million units flexible and curved displays will be shipped for smart watch application by 2023. Overall flexible and curved display market will reach $27 Billion by 2023.

Figure: Flexible and curved displays for smart watch application forecast to 2023

flexible curved smart watch

Source: Touch Display Research. “Flexible and Curved Display and Lighting Technologies and Market Forecast” report. September, 2013.

It is said Merck’s organic semiconductor material was used in the OTFT prototype.

As we covered in our “Flexible and Curved Display and Lighting Technologies and Market Forecast” report, Sony has demonstrated OTFT backplane AMOLED before.

Thanks for reading,

Jennifer and team

CES 2014 What to Expect

December 20, 2013

I’ll travel to International CES 2014 in Las Vegas in early January. CES is one of the most crowded consumer electronic shows in the world with over 150,000 attendees.

Here are what to expect:

  1. OLED display. We expect Samsung and LG will demo large size AMOLED TV at CES 2014, just as they did in last year. But this time it’ll be one level higher: we expect to see 4K and larger size. Other companies, such as Sony, AUO, Panasonic will also demo 4K OLED TV.

Touch Display Research forecasts that by 2020 the OLED TV market will reach $15.5 billion. 2016 will be the takeoff year for OLED TVs with billions of dollars of revenue each year after that.

2. 8K display. We expect to see 8K display at CES 2014. More analysis can be found in our “Touch and Emerging Display report” December 2013 report.

3. Quantum dot is adopted in LCD to improve color gamut and reduce power consumption.  At CES 2014, we’ll see Sony’s Triluminos TV with quantum dot from QD Vision.  We might also see Hisense demo quantum dot TV as well.

Quantum dot could improve Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) dramatically in terms of color gamut, color accuracy and reducing power consumption. This is one of the biggest breakthrough technologies for LCD in recent several years. Now quantum dot LCD is challenging AMOLED.

Touch Display Research forecasts that the quantum dot display and lighting component market will reach $9.6 billion by 2023.

4. We’ll also see many flexible/curved display at CES 2014, such as curved OLED TV, curved LCD TV, curved smart watches, wearable devices.

Touch Display Research forecasts 30 million units flexible and curved displays will be shipped for smart watch application by 2023.

Overall flexible and curved display market will reach $27 Billion by 2023.

5. ITO-replacement. At CES 2014, we’ll see many touch screen devices, from mobile phone to large public signage. ITO-replacement transparent conductor is penetrating to touch screens very rapidly. ITO-replacement attracted over 200 companies and research Institutes. We expect to see metal mesh, silver nanowire and other ITO-replacement touch panels at the show.

Touch Display Research forecasts the non-ITO transparent conductor market will grow from $206 million in 2013 to $4 billion by 2020.

Thanks for reading,

Jennifer and team

Applied Materials for IGZO displays

October 16, 2013

On October 16th, Applied Materials announced new technology systems for manufacturing IGZO TFT: the AKT-PiVot® 55K DT PVD, Applied AKT-PiVot 25K DT PVD and Applied AKT 55KS PECVD systems.

Applied Materials supply two sizes of IGZO manufacture equipment: One is for Gen 8.5, 2200mmX2500mm mother glass. One is for Gen 6, 1500mmX1850mm mother glass.

Metal oxide TFT, especially IGZO TFT has been researched for many years. Sharp is the first company to mass produce IGZO TFT since 2012. Although Sharp first announced to produce IGZO TFT in April 2011, it took them one year longer than expected to bring it to mass production. LG started mass produce IGZO TFT for their 55” AMOLED TV since early 2013.

Figure. Applied Materials IGZO manufacture equipment

Applied material PECVD equipment with person

Source: Applied Material, October 2013

I had a chance to meet Applied Materials team: Max, John, Kerry, Ricky, and Amaya recently in their Santa Clara office. I raised the questions of how to improve IGZO’s stability, uniformity and yield. Applied Materials indicated they have solutions for all three issues. Applied indicated they are working closely with four display companies currently.

More analysis and IGZO display roadmap can be found in our Touch and Emerging Display monthly report.

Thanks for reading,

Jennifer and team

Samsung Curved OLED Phone Might be Using Glass Substrate

Oct 9, 2013

Samsung’s curved OLED display mobile phone is finally official. The name is Galaxy Round, which will be available in South Korea market from October 10th for $1013.

As we covered last month, Samsung’s head of mobile business marketing, Mr. Lee, announced they are planning to launch a mobile phone with a curved display in October, but gave no specifics on the display. Now here is the spec,

Figure. Samsung Galaxy Round curved phone spec

Samsung round spec

Source: Samsung and Touch Display Research Inc.

Touch Display Research believes that the curved OLED display Samsung used on Galaxy Round mobile phone might be glass substrate, not plastic.  Samsung has registered the trade mark “YOUM” for its plastic AMOLED. But Samsung didn’t mention “YOUM” in its announcement, and didn’t mention “unbreakable” either. Thus we believe the Galaxy Round is using glass substrate.

Touch Display Research believes the eco-system for flexible and curved displays is maturing. We forecast that the flexible and curved display market will reach $27 Billion by 2023, which is about 16% market share of the global display revenue in 2023. More analysis of curved display and curved touch panel can be found in our newly published Flexible and Curved Display Technologies and Market Forecast 2013 report.

Thanks for reading,

Jennifer and team

Apple curved OLED display potential suppliers

October 3, 2013

This week Korea news chosun.com reported a rumor that Apple’s iWatch will adopt a “plastic OLED”. It quoted an “industry source” said “Apple is developing three different models of the iWatch — a 1.3-inch, 1.4-inch and 1.5-inch prototype”.

Back in June 2013, Touch Display Research has forecasted that Apple will adopt AMOLED within 18 months.

Some of our industry friends asked me which company might be supplying plastic OLED to Apple.   It is very challenge to get Apple’s insider information, but Touch Display Research believes that 7 companies could be the potential suppliers of flexible curved OLED display: Samsung Display Corp, LG Display, Futaba, AUO, Innolux, Sharp, NVO, etc.

Figure. Potential Suppliers of Flexible and Curved OLED Displays

flexible curved OLED suppliers

Source: Touch Display Research, Flexible and curved display technologies and market forecast, September, 2013

As we covered last week, Samsung has announced to release a mobile phone with curved displays in October 2013. Here are the possibilities for Samsung’s curved display technologies.

Touch Display Research believes the eco-system for flexible and curved displays is maturing. We forecast that the flexible and curved display market will reach $27 Billion by 2023, which is about 16% market share of the global display revenue in 2023. More analysis of curved display and curved touch panel can be found in our newly published Flexible and Curved Display Technologies and Market Forecast 2013 report.

Thanks for reading,

Jennifer and team

Possibilities for Samsung’s Curved-Display Technology

September 27, 2013

This week Samsung’s head of mobile business marketing, Mr. Lee, announced they are planning to launch a mobile phone with a curved display in October, but gave no specifics on the display. Touch Display Research believes that three types of display are suitable for flexible/curved display on mobile phones: curved AMOLED, curved LCD, and curved electrophoretic active matrix.

Figure. Flexible and Curved Display Suitable for Mobile Phone Main Display

Curved display for mobile phone

Source: Touch Display Research, Flexible and curved display technologies and market forecast, September, 2013

Samsung has registered the trade mark “YOUM” for its flexible AMOLED. Rumors floated around before the release of the Galaxy Note III that it would be the first device with a flexible AMOLED, but that didn’t happen. Samsung also demonstrated a flexible LCD several years ago.

Touch Display Research believes the eco-system for flexible and curved displays is maturing. We forecast that the flexible and curved display market will reach $27 Billion by 2023, which is about 16% market share of the global display revenue in 2023. More analysis of curved display and curved touch panel can be found in our newly published Flexible and Curved Display Technologies and Market Forecast 2013 report.

Thanks for reading,

Jennifer and team

Sony moving in the right direction: Emerging displays and touch playing a key role

August 5, 2013

Sony Corporation has lost money five years in a row. However, during both this May and August Sony announced good news: it swung back to a profit in its fiscal fourth quarter (FYQ4 ended on March 31st) and fiscal first quarter (FYQ1 ended on June 30th). The main contribution to this new profitability is “lifted by the first black ink in 3 years at its long-struggling TV business” as indicated by Wall Street Journal on August 1.

So far, I think the new CEO Kazuo Hirai is steering Sony in the right direction, and emerging display and touch technologies are playing a key role:

  • As we covered in the monthly “Touch and Emerging display report”, Sony has released several 4K TVs. Sony has adopted QD Vision’s quantum dots on some of its TVs for better color and lower power consumption.
  • Sony is still manufacturing AMOLED professional monitors and successfully selling these at high price, leading to profitability
  • Sony is planning a flexible e-Paper display (from E Ink) tablet with pen-writing function by end of this year.
  • Sony added more pen-writing notebook PCs.
  • Recently Sony has unveiled SmartWatch 2 with a larger 1.6” 220×176 touch display (the original SmartWatch has a 1.3” 128X128 OLED display).

Figure: Sony upcoming flexible display tablet with pen

E ink Sony Mobius

Photo by: Touch Display Research Inc.

Although a profitable quarter is good news, the profit of FYQ1 is only 3.5 billion Yen, a 0.2% profit margin. It is still left to be seen if Sony can maintain profitability the entire fiscal year.

Thanks for reading,

Jennifer and team

 

Our Mission at Touch Display Research

July 11, 2013

Our mission is to provide accurate industry knowledge, up-to-date information, forward-thinking analysis and the best business strategy recommendations to our clients.

Jenny sit

At SID 2013 I visited LG Display’s exhibition booth and asked the booth attendants about their flexible AMOLED. Another visitor happened to be standing there looking at the flexible AMOLED too. I asked the LG booth attendants, “Does this flexible display use the color filter method?”

The LG booth people answered, “No, this demo doesn’t use a color filter.”

I nodded. At this point, the other visitor jumped in and said, “OLED doesn’t need a color filter, it’s not LCD.”   The visitor looked like an intelligent young man, but only knew part of the technology. I explained to him, “Some OLEDs use a color filter––LG’s OLED TV uses white OLED plus a color filter.” 

The young visitor looked at me with doubt, “Really? I don’t think so.” Then he started to talk to the LG booth people, “I saw your CEO gave a keynote two days ago.” The LG booth people asked, “Where?”

The young visitor said, “The keynote at the beginning of this SID.”

I came to SID 2013 on Tuesday afternoon and missed the keynote talk that morning, but I knew the keynote speaker had been Samsung Display’s CEO, not LG’s CEO. I said, “That was Samsung’s.”  The LG booth people also said, “Our CEO didn’t come this time. Maybe it was Samsung’s.”

But the young visitor didn’t hear me, and kept chatting with the LG booth people.

I walked away with a bit of heartbreak and sympathy for the young visitor.

I recently saw presentation slides from a university professor. In one slide he indicated IGZO TFT was still in R&D stage. I looked at the presentation time––March 2013. I know that Sharp announced the mass production of IGZO TFT in April 2011, and finally mass produced it in April 2012. I met Sharp’s CTO in April 2012. Obviously, that professor had out-dated information and hadn’t followed Sharp’s progress in IGZO.

There are many people like that young visitor and the professor who only know part of the technology, part of the story, and unfortunately provide wrong opinions. They don’t know that AMOLED can have color filter too, they can’t tell Samsung from LG, they don’t know that Sharp has already mass-produced IGZO since 2012, but they are willing to spread wrong information.   

I’m concerned about these people and the people they advise. I feel as a Ph.D. and experienced technology analyst, I have the responsibility to provide to my clients correct knowledge, up-to-date information, forward-thinking analysis, and best business strategies.

LG and Samsung drop lawsuits; Samsung may adopt LG’s OLED technology

 

Feb 21, 2013

On Feb 20th, Korea Times reported that LG Display has dropped its injunction against Samsung Display Corporation.

Samsung and LG have had a fierce competition for decades. Recently the Korean government has become involved and ordered the two companies to talk to each other. Several weeks ago, Samsung dropped its lawsuit against LG Display over OLED technology. Yesterday, LG Display dropped its lawsuit against Samsung over IPS LCD technology.

The announcement comes after Samsung surprisingly decided to adopt LG’s white OLED plus color filter technology. According to Samsung officials the company will start the manufacture of AMOLED with white OLED plus color filter technology in late 2013.

I believe this cooperation is mainly caused by progress by other regions in AMOLED. See our “Large AMOLED TV Summary and Comparison” of LG, Samsung, Sony, AUO, and Panasonic.

Figure. Large AMOLED TV Summary and Comparison

oled tv tablet with cr

Source: Touch Display Research, Touch and Emerging Display Monthly Report, Jan. 2013

In January 2013, LG Electronics officially launched the 55” OLED TV with 1080p resolution in the South Korean market, priced at about $10,000. LG later announced that it would bring the OLED TV to the U.S. market in March 2013, priced at $12,000.

On the other hand, Samsung has no follow-up of when to bring its 55” OLED TV to the market yet.

LG’s 55” OLED TV uses white OLED plus RGBW color filter method for the color patterning, and using oxide TFT for the backplane. Samsung’s 55” OLED TV demo uses RGB chemical vapor deposition and LTPS TFT for the backplane. Current commercialization situation confirmed that LG’s method is more achievable, or can achieve higher yield and lower cost in 2013.

Sony, AUO, and Panasonic brought OLED TVs to a higher level: Ultra HD (4K) resolution. Samsung and LG’s OLED TV stayed at FHD (1080p), but they made them curved this year.

With the other region’s AMOLED competition, it’s a good decision for LG and Samsung to cooperate. Will Samsung adopt white OLED method to only TV or to other size AMOLED?  What is the pros and cons of white OLED method? Will Samsung abandon (bottle up) its other color patterning technologies? More analysis can be found in our Touch and Emerging Display monthly report.

Thanks for reading,

Jennifer and team