Sunic System Suggests High Resolution 11K AMOLED Panel Solution through Plane Source

/0 Comments/in /by

Sunic System’s solution for 11K (2,250 ppi) AMOLED production revealed in IMID 2016 held in Jeju ICC, South Korea is receiving much attention.

In the 2nd OLED Korea Conference held earlier this year, Samsung Display’s principal engineer Insun Hwang told the attendees that high resolution is the key in VR, and approximately 2,000 ppi is required for suitable realism. He explained that the resolution of VR falls as the distance between the user and display is short and this is an issue that needs to be solved.

The highest resolution of the current AMOLED panel for mobile device is 806 ppi, revealed by Samsung Display in SID 2016. The technology being applied to AMOLED panel mass production is evaporating OLED emitting materials through heat from linear source, and depositing the OLED emitting materials onto substrate through fine metal mask (FMM).

However, during the deposition stage of the OLED emitting materials, due to the distance between the evaporation source and FMM, thickness of FMM, and distance between FMM and substrate, incidence angle (θ) is produced. Due to the incidence angle, shadow distance (SD) is generated. Because of the SD issues, mask thickness and step height that minimize SD have to be decided, and these are the main reasons for the FMM production difficulty.

Plane Source Process, Sunic System IMID 2016

Plane Source Process, Sunic System IMID 2016

To solve these issues, Sunic System suggested plane source, instead of linear source, and reported that this will become a key technology for high resolution AMOLED panel. Plane source technology deposits OLED emitting materials on metal plate and vertically evaporates the materials through heat after reversing that metal plate. If OLED emitting material shadow angle (Ф) becomes 90, the SD (shadow distance, step height / tanФ) theoretically becomes 0. This means FMM can be designed to be thin and high resolution, allowing for high resolution AMOLED panel production.

Sunic System’s Dr. Chang Hun Hwang explained that plane source can reduce SD figure up to approximately 8 times compared to existing technology, and 11K (2250 ppi) AMOLED panel for VR use becomes possible. Through this 8K (200 ppi) RGB OLED TV panel production becomes possible in large area SMS evaporation technology.

Particularly, if plane source using SMS evaporation technology can be applied to large area, it is also expected to have significant impact on large area OLED panel production technology.

So far, inkjet printing technology applied solution process method has been mainly developed for RGB large area OLED panel production, but soluble OLED emitting materials’ performance fall short of existing evaporation OLED emitting materials. However, if plane source technology is successfully developed and applied, evaporation OLED emitting materials can be used. Accordingly, this could become large size OLED panel production technology that replaces solution process OLED.

Sunic System supplied Gen6 evaporator to LG Display, a first for a Korean manufacturing equipment company, and active mass production is expected to be possible from 2018.

Phone when Folded, Tablet when Opened… President of UBI Research ‘Flexible OLED Opens New Digital Convergence’

/0 Comments/in /by

The president of UBI Research Choong Hoon Yi

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

Phone when Folded, Tablet when Opened… President of UBI Research ‘Flexible OLED Opens New Digital Convergence’

Combining smartphone and tablet PC, flexible OLED is expected to be a key player in opening the new digital convergence era.

During the Industrial Forum IMID 2016, held on 23 August in Jeju ICC in South Korea, the president of UBI Research Choong Hoon Yi gave a keynote speech and suggested the changes to the industry that flexible OLED will bring.

Yi discussed diverse applications for flexible OLED and emphasized that digital convergence where tablet PC is absorbed into smartphone will occur. He explained that flexible OLED will open the foldable phone era where the screen can be completely folded, and innovative product which will become a 5 inch smartphone when folded and a tablet PC when opened will be developed.

Yi explained that using the flexible OLED’s characteristics of thinness, lightness, flexibility, and spatial efficiency, it will be widely used. He estimated that not only will flexible OLED be used in automotive screen, lighting, flexible signage, and foldable game device, it will be utilized in diverse areas from wearable products such as smart helmet to smart fashion.

Referencing UBI Research’s analysis, Yi forecast that in 2020, 60% of the total smartphone will be OLED smartphone, and in 2021, 70% of OLED smartphone will be equipped with flexible OLED.

Samsung Display Mentions OLED’s BT2020 for First Time, OLED Emitting Materials Companies’ Concern to Increase

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , /by

Source: Samsung Display Keynote, IMID 2016

Color Coordinates Development Direction for Each Color to Satisfy BT2020, Source: AMOLED Characteristics Analysis Report of Galaxy S Series

Samsung Display’s Dr. Sung-Chul Kim gave a keynote speech during IMID 2016 being held in Jeju ICC in South Korea. He emphasized that AMOLED is the suitable display for the current trend and discussed the issues to be solved for AMOLED.

 

Kim gave several talks this year on similar topics but this is the first time he mentioned BT2020 as AMOLED’s color space. Accordingly, concerns of OLED emitting materials companies are expected to increase.

 

Until now, Kim has been discussing phosphorescent blue materials as the key issue; only OLED phosphorescent materials are red and green, and development and application of phosphorescent blue materials are urgently needed, which will lead to 300% increase in efficiency. However, during this keynote speech, he emphasized BT2020 for the first time with the phosphorescent blue application.

 

BT2020 is color space with red, green, and blue wavelengths of 630nm, 532nm, and 467nm respectively. In CES 2016, it was selected by UHD Alliance as the color space applied to UHD TV.

 

According to AMOLED Characteristics Analysis Report of Galaxy S Series, published by UB Research in May 2016, Galaxy series’ color space needs to meet BT2020. In order to meet this, for u’, red needs to increase, green decrease, and blue to decrease. For v’, red needs to decrease, green to increase, and blue to increase in terms of color coordinate movement.

 

Resolution and color coordinates of mobile device panel tends to follow TV development direction. As UHD Alliance selected BT2020 as the standard, AMOLED panel for mobile that meets this requirement needs to be produced. Accordingly, OLED emitting materials companies’ development focus, which is currently on lifetime and efficiency, is expected to be required to change.

LG Display ‘POLED, Key Differentiation of Automotive Cluster and CID Design’

/0 Comments/in /by
LG Display

LG Display’s Automotive Sales and Marketing director Sanghyun Ahn

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

LG Display emphasized that the automotive industry can differentiate design through plastic OLED (POLED).

 

During the Industrial Forum IMID 2016 held on 23 August in Jeju ICC of South Korea, LG Display’s Automotive Sales and Marketing director Sanghyun Ahn gave a key note presentation titled ‘Plastic-OLED Market Projection and Application in Automotive Display’, and explained advantages that POLED brings to automotive interior design. In particular, Ahn emphasized that POLED allows design freedom for automotive cluster and CID (center information display).

 

Ahn told the audience that cluster and CID related design differentiation and large size actualization is possible in the automotive market and requires unbreakable panel. POLED allows for integration of CID and cluster, a large size CID, and unconstrained cluster design, and can become a differentiation point in the automotive industry.

 

Compared to LCD, OLED is thinner and superior in contrast ratio, color gamut, and response speed. However, Ahn added that OLED’s lifetime and burn issues remain to be solved. He explained that POLED’s lifetime at 25°C LT80 is expected to increase to 15,000 in 2020 from 10.000 and reliability is estimated to improve from 2016’s 240 hours to 2018’s 500 hours.

 

Ahn revealed that regarding POLED for cluster and CID use LG Display is planning to release 13 inch FHD curved POLED in 2018, and curved and freeform 25 inch POLED in 2019.

Samsung Display Principal Engineer, “VR∙AR will become comparable to 3D TV?”

/0 Comments/in /by
samsung display

Samsung Display’s R&D Center principal engineer JongSeo Lee

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

Samsung Display’s R&D Center principal engineer JongSeo Lee suggested that VR∙AR market is an optimistic one unlike the 3D TV market of the past.

 

During the Industrial Forum held in ICC Jeju of South Korea, Lee gave a presentation titled ‘Introduction of Display Technology for VR/AR’, and mentioned concern from some sectors that the VR∙AR market will walk the same path as the 3D TV market.

 

Lee explained that the 3D TV market did not become vitalized due to the limits on contents production and 3D conversion technology, low quality of 3D display, lack of standards, etc. However, for VR∙AR market, contents and hardware such as Pokemon Go and HoloLens have arried, and many companies are active in this sector. Lee’s explanation is that leading companies including Apple, Microsoft, Intel, and Facebook are actively investing for VR∙AR sector and ecosystem is forming.

 

Using the Goldman Sachs materials, Lee emphasized that VR∙AR market will record USD 85,000 million by 2025. Furthermore, he explained technical characteristics of OLED, suitable for VR and AR, pointing out that transparent OLED is the key solution for AR technology actualization. He explained AR as the digital experience added to the actual physical environment or live screen, and transparent display actualizes this.

 

Compared to LCD, OLED has higher transmittance, and is considered the optimized solution for transparent display. For transparent OLED actualization, Lee told the audience that cathode with high transmittance and low resistance is needed and substrate should be able to withstand heat and be flexible. Metal types can be applied to the transparent area of the transparent display to produce mirror display. With this, AR can be experienced even using the form similar to mirrors. For this Lee added that high reflectance level and high color gamut are required.

TADF, a Hot Issue in OLED Conferences This Fall… Cynora Emphasizes Technical Skills

/0 Comments/in /by
TADF is one of hot issues in OLED industry. (Picture Source : CYNORA)

TADF is one of hot issues in OLED industry. (Picture Source : CYNORA)

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

Starting with IMID in Jeju, South Korea, numerous OLED conferences are to be held one after another, with TADF (thermally activated delayed fluorescence) technology expected to be a hot issue. The leaders in this sector such as Cynora are planning to actively discuss the technical skills through the events in fall.

 

Due to low efficiency of blue emitting materials, the current OLED equipped products in the market have limits on display’s energy efficiency. As a main solution for this important issue, TADF technology is receiving much attention as the main method for improving blue emitting materials efficiency between key display companies.

 

The importance of TADF technology is expected to be heightened in IMID in Jeju (23-28 August), and SPIE Conference (28 August – 1 September) in San Diego. Cynora, blue emitting materials related TADF technology leading company, is expected to discuss the technology. In May, Cynora announced that they developed deep blue material reaching an EQE of 16.3% (at 100 cd/m2).

 

Furthermore, Korea’s Sungkyunkwan University, Japan’s Kyushu University, and China’s Tsinghua University will share TADF related academic knowledge through coming conferences. Technology to improve OLED application products’ power consumption is expected to be a key topic also in OLED World Summit to be held in San Diego in September.

UBI Research Lowers Forecast of OLED Market for ≥ 55 inch TV by Approx. 20-30%

/0 Comments/in /by

55inch LG OLED TV

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com
UBI Research reduced the expected OLED panel shipment for ≥ 55 inch TV in 2016-2020 by approximately 20-30% from the previous forecast. This is with the consideration that ≥ 65 inch TV market is growing.
Earlier this year, UBI Research forecasted that the global shipment of ≥ 55 inch OLED panel will be 1.2 million units in 2016 and grow to 8.1 million units in 2020. However, as the proportion of 65 inch panel mass production increases, the company reduced the forecast by 20-30% to approximately 0.8-0.9 million units in 2016, and around 6 million units in 2020. This is because 65 inch panel has low yield per mother glass.
This figure is based on the LG Display’s large size OLED panel mass production line, E3 and E4 factories in Paju. E3 factory is mainly operated for 55 inch panel production. E4 factory also has high 55 inch production proportion, but 65 inch panel is also mass produced at the same time.
55 inch TV is the main product for large size TV at present, but 65 inch TV market is also rapidly growing. Accordingly, LG Display is increasing the 65 inch panel proportion. UBI Research’s market investigation shows LG Display shipped approximately 28,000 units of 65 inch OLED panel in Q2 2016. This is approximately double the Q1 volume.
From 1 Gen8 mother glass sheet of E4 line, 6 units of 55 inch OLED panel can be produced but only 3 units of 65 inch panel. This means that as LG Display increases the 65 inch proportion, yield of the same period decreases.
Considering this, UBI Research forecasts that the shipment of ≥ 55 inch OLED panel will decrease by approximately 20-30%. Another market research company IHS also lowered global OLED TV market forecast by 32%, and estimated this year’s to be about 0.83 million units, and 5.8 million units in 2020.

Dramatic Growth for OLED Smartphone …Q2 2016 Panel Shipment Increased by 72%

/0 Comments/in /by
OLED Smartphone Galaxy Note7(Source = Samsung)

OLED Smartphone Galaxy Note7(Source = Samsung)

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

OLED smartphone market is growing prominently in the global market. Q2 2016 global 4~6 inch OLED panel shipment increased by 72% compared to the same period in 2015.

According to investigation by UBI Research, the shipment of OLED panel for smartphone in Q2 2016 is 88 million units, an increase of 72% compared to 51.2 million units in Q2 2015. This rapid growth of 4~6 inch OLED panel is led by key smartphone companies in Korea and China.

Samsung Electronics, a leading representative of OLED smartphone market, is expanding OLED smartphone products. The company recently announced flexible OLED panel equipped Galaxy Note 7, a first for a Galaxy Note series.

Not only Samsung, but Chinese companies are leading the market growth expanding the OLED application. In particular, Huawei’s smartphone business growth is significantly affecting OLED market. According to a market research company IDC, the global smartphone sales of the same period is only 3%. However, the sales of Huawei, possessing numerous OLED smartphone products, increased by 25% in H1 compared to the same period in 2015.

According to UBI Research, the total revenue of Q2 2016 global smartphone OLED panel market is USD 3,160 million, approximately 27% increase compared to the same period in 2015.

Smartphone OLED Shipment, From 2016’s 300 Million Units to 2019’s 1,000 Million

/0 Comments/in /by

Flexible OLED Equipped Smartphone Galaxy note 7

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

Global smartphone OLED panel shipment is expected to exceed 300 million units for the first time in 2016, and exceed 1,000 million units in 2019.

On 16 August, UBI Research forecast that the global shipment for 4-6 inch OLED panel for smart phone is expected to be 318.8 million units, approximately 27% increase from 2015.

From then on, 2017 is estimated to record 505.3 million units, 902.5 million units in 2018, 1,170.2 million units in 2019, and 1,379 million units in 2020.

UBI Research forecast that rapid growth of flexible OLED for smart phone in particular will lead the total smart phone OLED shipment increase. According to UBI Research’s investigation, rigid type of smart phone OLED shipment is expected to dominate the total smartphone OLED shipment in 2016 with 78%.

However, in 2018, flexible OLED panel is estimated to record 56% and exceed rigid. The market share of flexible is expected to increase to 62.3% in 2019, and 67% in 2020; it is forecast to be the main force within the smartphone OLED market.

IHS, another market research company, also forecast that the smart phone OLED panel shipment will exceed 300 million units for the first time in 2016. IHS estimated the smartphone OLED shipment to be 366.88 million units in 2016 and 663.66 million in 2019, and showed some difference from UBI Research.

H1 Sales of OLED Microdisplay Company eMagin Falls by 3.8%… USD 1 Million Profit in Licensing

/0 Comments/in , , , , , , , , /by

eMagin`s Microdisplay (Source = eMagin)

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

eMagin, an OLED microdisplay company which is a technology that is needed for VR device, AR device, medical device, etc., showed 3.8% fall in H1 2016 sales compared to the same period last year with net loss of USD 2.404 million.

According to eMagin’s Q2 2016 performance results announced on 11 August, the company recorded sales of USD 5.5 million in sales, a decrease of approximately 11% compared to the same period in 2015.

As such, eMagin’s total sales in H1 is USD 12.534 million, approximately 3.8% less than H1 2015. While the product sales did not significantly differ, the government contracts suffered compared to the same period last year. However, the company recorded profit of USD 1 million in licensing revenue which did not occur in H1 2015. eMagin holds VR headset related intellectual property rights.

eMagin recorded a net loss of USD 2.164 million in Q2 2016, and a net loss of USD 2.15 million in H1 2016. Compared to the net profit of USD 0.254 million in the same period last year, this is a fall of USD 2.404 million. Andrew G. Sculley, CEO of eMagin, explained that the government contract volume was low and there were some manufacturing equipment downtime. He emphasized that eMagin is the only company that can satisfy the resolution and luminance demanded by the expanding VR and AR market.

JDI Seeks Government Financial Support, H1 Operating Lost JPY 10,600 Million

/0 Comments/in /by

Source = JDI

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

Japan Display, which recently drew attention when it became known that they sought financial help from the government, recorded JPY 10,600 million operating loss in H1 2016.

This company recently announced that in Q1 2016, a fiscal year that ended on 30 June, they recorded JPY 174,300 million in sales, a decrease of 29.2% compared to the same period last year, and operating loss of JPY 3,400 million, a fall of 5,600 million compared to the same period in 2015.

As such in H1 2016, JDI showed JPY 350,600 million in sales and JPY 10,700 million operating loss. It explained that the shipment in the last quarter fell short of expectations, and operating profit was poor due to China’s ASP fall, etc. In particular, it is analyzed that the poor sales of Apple’s iPhone, which has been occupying 50% of JDI sales, affected JDI’s business.

On 10 August, Japanese media reported that Mitsuru Honma, CEO of JDI, revealed that INCJ promised support. The financial support is analyzed to be for the smooth installation of OLED mass production line as well as the loss recovery.

JDI is carrying out mobile OLED mass production line and anticipated to be one of the strong candidates as OLED panel suppliers for Apple’s future new iPhone. Through this performance announcement, JDI emphasized they are planning to mass produce OLED from H1 2018.

The company forecast that they will show JPY 210,000 million in sales and JPY 1,000 million operating profit in Q2 2016 in fiscal year that ends in 30 September.

Galaxy Note 7 records high peak brightness of 1,048 nits

/0 Comments/in /by

Galaxy Note 7 Records High Peak Brightness of 1,048 nit

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

DisplayMate Technologies, the leading evaluator of video screens, announced the results of a new series of comprehensive lab tests on the Galaxy Note 7 ’s display.

As the first smartphone to incorporate High Dynamic Range(HDR) technology for mobile video streaming, the Galaxy Note7 provides a cinema-like viewing experience. HDR, the newest performance enhancement feature developed for the latest 4K Ultra HDTVs, expands the color, contrast and brightness of video content through special image processing.

To display the latest high-end video content, the Galaxy Note7 was equipped with the newest standard Wide Color Gamut called DCI-P3 for Digital Cinema Initiative. The measured color gamut of the AMOLED Cinema screen mode is a very accurate 97 percent of the standard DCI-P3 color gamut. It also received a very accurate Absolute Color Accuracy measurement of 2.8 JNCD.

The Galaxy Note7 boasts a record high peak brightness (automatic brightness) of 1,048 nits in high ambient light conditions and a screen reflectance level of 4.6 percent. This means that the screen of the Galaxy Note7 can easily be viewed or read, even under relatively high ambient lighting, such as bright sunlight, which washes out the image color saturation and contrast, decreasing picture quality.

In line with its automatic brightness improvements, the Galaxy Note7 received praise from DisplayMate for being the first of its kind to incorporate a second, rear ambient light sensor. This sensor measures surrounding ambient light and then uses the measured value, along with that of the front ambient light sensor, to alter the display brightness accordingly. The additional sensor helps the device to obtain an accurate reading of the true ambient light level, even when the phone is held in the user’s shadow.

DisplayMate also made note of the Galaxy Note7’s new Blue Light Filter that allows the user to adjust and reduce the amount of blue light from the display for better night viewing, “which some recent research indicates can affect how well users sleep afterwards.”

Featuring curved screen OLED display, the Galaxy Note7 will be available for purchase starting August 19.

H1 2016 OLED Wearable, Disappeared Smartwatch and Rising VR ∙ Smartband

/0 Comments/in /by

bungee jump with Gear VR (Source = Samsung)

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

Unlike the same period last year, H1 2016 showed quiet smartwatch sector while VR (virtual reality) device and smartband became popular.

According to UBI Research, of OLED wearable device revealed in H1 2016, 6 are VR devices (OLED display is either directly equipped to the device or OLED smartphone can be connected) and 4 are smartbands. In H1 2015, there were 5 OLED smartwatches and 3 OLED smartbands. The difference between almost no smartwatches in H1 2016 is evident.

In VR sector, Oculus began the announcements with Samsung Display’s OLED equipped Oculus Rift in January. Following this, other companies such as Sony, HTC, and DeePoon revealed new products in international exhibitions. Samsung Electronics recently showed Gear VR that can be paired with Galaxy Note 7 in New York, and VR is expected to maintain its popularity in Q3.

In H1 2016, smartband stimulated the market with Samsung Electronics’ Gear Fit 2, Xiaomi’s Mi Band 2, and Fitbit’s Alta.

However, the only new OLED smartwatch product announced in H1 2016 was China’s GEAK’s GEAK Watch 3, and it was not even released in the market. The reason for the slump in the smartwatch market has been noted to be short battery life, and lack of useful applications. However, as Samsung Electronics and Apple are expected to announce new smartwatch products in Q3, renewed enthusiasm is anticipated.

Samsung’s Gear 3 is expected to be revealed in IFA 2016 in Berlin in September. Apple is also rumored to be announcing Apple Watch in September. Apple has already revealed smartwatch operating system Watch OS3 with improved speed and function in June.

Dramatic Growth of Automotive OLED Lighting Panel …To Exceed Down Lighting in 2019

/0 Comments/in /by
OLED Lighting for Automotive (Picture Source = Novaled)

With the Forecast of Continued growth of OLED Lighting Panel Market, Automotive Lighting Market is Rapidly Growing ( Picture Source = Novaled )

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com
With the forecast of continued rapid growth of OLED lighting panel market, automotive OLED lighting panel in particular is expected to lead the market.
According to 2016 OLED Lighting Annual Report, published by UBI Research on 8 August, the global automotive OLED lighting panel market this year is only USD 3 million. However, the market is estimated to rapidly grow from 2017 and record USD 296 million in 2019, and exceed indoor OLED lighting panel market. The 2019 indoor OLED lighting ( down lighting ) panel market is expected to be USD 183 million.
Furthermore, in 2020, the automotive OLED lighting panel market is estimated to record USD 821 million and widen the gap with indoor OLED lighting market and its USD 494 million. From then on, the indoor OLED lighting market is estimated to show impressive growth and move past automotive sector sales from 2023. However, the automotive sector is expected to occupy major areas of OLED lighting market along with the indoor sector.
OLED is receiving much attention as automotive lighting panel due to advantages such as diverse designs and being less harmful to human eyes. The fact that curved design is possible with OLED is a particular merit for an automotive lighting. In fact, UBI Research estimates that flexible OLED within automotive OLED lighting market will maintain its 75% or higher market share in future.
UBI Research explained that as flexible is possible with OLED, there are many advantages in terms of design in automotive indoor lighting, and taillights. He added that with thinner and freer curved designs, the OLED lighting can be applied to anywhere in cars and this will become a new differentiation point for automotive companies.

Global Lighting OLED Market, USD 1,600 Million in 2020… Half by LG Display

/0 Comments/in /by
Global OLED lighting panel revenue market share(출처 = UBI Research 2016 OLED Lighting Annual Report_

Global lighting OLED panel revenue market share (Source = UBI Research 2016 OLED Lighting Annual Report)

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

Global lighting OLED panel market is rapidly growing each year. In 2020, it is expected to record USD 1,600 million, and LG Display is estimated to occupy 53%.
According to 2016 OLED Lighting Annual Report, published by UBI Research on 8 August, the global OLED lighting panel market is expected to record USD 114 million in 2016 and show CAGR of 66% in 2017-2025.
Advantages of OLED lighting includes high energy efficiency and diverse application areas. The fact that the restrictions on the use of incandescent light is being tightened is also one of the reasons that OLED lighting is receiving much attention. As such, the global OLED lighting panel market will continue to grow and record USD 1,600 million in 2020.
LG Display is the only company that carried out investment while possessing OLED lighting panel mass production technology. In early 2016, OLED lighting business was moved from LG Chem. to LG Display.
In March, LG Display decided on 15K monthly capa. of Gen5 OLED lighting panel mass production line investment, and is actively expanding this business. The company is expected to record 53% of 2020 global OLED lighting panel sales with USD 848 million.
In terms of application areas, general indoor downlight and automotive lighting are estimated to show rapid growth and occupy the largest proportion of the OLED lighting market. Furthermore, OLED lighting market is expanding in other areas such as outdoor, medical, and exhibition use.
UBI Research estimates that in 2025, the automotive OLED lighting panel market will grow to record USD 2,786 million, and indoor lighting panel market to USD 3,409 million.

UDC & Tianma Enter into Long-Term OLED Patent License and Supplemental Material Purchase Agreements

/in /by

Source = UDC

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

Universal Display Corporation( UDC ), enabling energy-efficient displays and lighting with its  UniversalPHOLED technology and materials, today announced the signing of an OLED Technology License Agreement and Supplemental Material Purchase Agreement with Tianma Micro-electronics Co. Ltd., a leading Chinese small-and medium-size display panel manufacturer. The agreements run for five years.

Tianma is a leading player in AM-OLED technology and series production capacity in domestic China . In late May, Tianma demonstrated its latest OLED advances with a number of display prototypes at Display Week 2016 International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition. Tianma has a Gen 5.5 AM -OLED line in Shanghai , which started producing AM-OLED modules for intelligent mobile terminals to brand clients this year. Tianma is also increasing its OLED investments to ramp up capacity for commercial mass production.

“We are very pleased to enter into these license and supply agreements with Tianma Micro-electronics, an early OLED developer and key Chinese display maker,” said Steven V. Abramson , President and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Display . “Tianma has been at the forefront of OLED R&D in China for a number of years, and we look forward to working with Tianma to advance their commercial OLED product pipeline with our proprietary OLED technologies and materials. Around the world, we believe that OLED research, development and investment activities are gaining tremendous ground, as consumer demand for cutting-edge, fast-response, thin, energy-efficient displays continues to rise, in products such as smartphones, wearables, tablets and automotive.”

Under the license agreement, Universal Display , through its wholly-owned subsidiary UDC Ireland Limited , has granted Tianma Micro-electronics non-exclusive license rights under various patents owned or controlled by Universal Display to manufacture and sell OLED display products. Additionally, Universal Display will supply phosphorescent OLED materials to Tianma Micro-electronics for use in its licensed products.

UDC Announces Q2 2016 Financial Results

/in /by

Source = UDC

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

Universal Display Corporation( UDC ), enabling energy-efficient displays and lighting with its Universal PHOLED technology and materials, today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016.

For the second quarter of 2016, the Company reported net income of $21.8 million, or $0.46 per diluted share, on revenues of $64.4 million. This includes $1.8 million of currency exchange loss related to the BASF OLED patent acquisition. For the second quarter of 2015, the Company reported a net loss of $11.8 million, or $0.25 per diluted share, on revenues of $58.1 million. The 2015 net loss reflected a $33.0 million write-down of inventory, primarily of an existing host material and associated work-in-process. Excluding this item and its associated $1.9 million reduction of income tax expense, adjusted net income for the second quarter of 2015 was $19.4 million, or $0.41 per diluted share (see “reconciliation of non-GAAP Measures” below for further discussion of the non-GAAP measures included in this release).

“Our second quarter 2016 revenues and net income increased year-over-year, and we maintained our strong margin profile. We are confident that the underlying growth fundamentals of our long-term outlook remain robust, but near-term, we expect our revenue growth will be delayed by about six months,” said Sidney D. Rosenblatt, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Universal Display.

Rosenblatt continued, “We expect strong revenue growth in 2017. At that time, new OLED production from the multi-year capital expenditure cycle is slated to start contributing to our revenues. Ahead of this wave of high-volume capacity, we have been working to expand and broaden our team and core competencies to advance our strategic initiatives and increase our competitive edge. We expect these initiatives, along with new OLED capacity, coupled with our pipeline of new materials, new technologies and new agreements, to bolster our long-term growth plan.”

Financial Highlights for the Second Quarter of 2016

The Company reported revenues of $64.4 million, compared to revenues of $58.1 million for the same quarter of 2015, an increase of 10.8%. Material sales were $22.3 million, down 8.3% compared to the second quarter of 2015, primarily due to a $2.0 million decline in host material sales. Royalty and license fees were $42.0 million, up from $33.7 million in the second quarter of 2015. The Company recognized $37.5 million in Samsung Display Co., Ltd. (SDC) licensing revenue in the second quarter of 2016, up from $30.0 million in the same quarter of 2015.

The Company reported operating income of $34.0 million in the second quarter of 2016, compared to an operating loss of $4.8 million for the second quarter of 2015. Excluding the inventory write-down of $33.0 million, adjusted operating income was $28.2 million for the second quarter of 2015. Operating expenses were $30.4 million, compared to $62.9 million in the second quarter of 2015 and cost of materials was $5.7 million, compared to $39.1 million in the second quarter of 2015, both of which included the inventory write-down of $33.0 million in the second quarter of 2015.

The Company’s balance sheet remained strong, with cash and cash equivalents and investments of $332.0 million as of June 30, 2016. During the second quarter, the Company added $96.0 million in intangible assets in the form of intellectual property purchases and certain other assets from BASF, increasing the portfolio to more than 4,100 issued and pending patents worldwide. During the second quarter, the Company generated $36.2 million in operating cash flow.

Financial Highlights for the First Six Months of 2016

The Company reported revenues of $94.1 million, compared to revenues of $89.3 million for the first half of 2015, or an increase of 5.4%. Material sales were $46.6 million, down 8.8% compared to $51.1 million in the first half of 2015, primarily due to a $7.0 million decline in host sales. Royalty and license fees were $47.4 million, up from $38.1 million in the first half of 2015.

The Company reported operating income of $36.7 million in the first half of 2016, compared to an operating loss of $3.1 million for the first half of 2015. Excluding the inventory write-down of $33.0 million, adjusted operating income was $30.0 million for 2015. For the first half of 2016, we reported net income of $23.8 million, or $0.51 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $10.5 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, for the same period of 2015. Excluding the inventory write-down and the associated $1.9 million reduction of income tax expense, adjusted net income was $20.7 million, or $0.45 per diluted share, for the first half of 2015.

Operating cash flow for the first half of 2016 was $36.2 million, a decrease of 51.8% compared to $75.2 million for the first half of 2015 which included an upfront $42.0 million license and royalty payment.

2016 Guidance

While the OLED industry is still at a stage where many variables can have a material impact on its growth, based upon the most recent and best information on hand, the Company believes it is prudent to revise its 2016 revenues guidance. The Company now expects 2016 revenues to be in the range of $190 million to $200 million.

LG’s 77 inch OLED TV at KRW 40 Million, Is the Price OK? Comparison with Competitors…

/0 Comments/in /by
출처=LG전자

LG`s 77 inch OLED TV Picture Source = LG Elec.

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com
LG Electronics recently announced 77 inch OLED TV, and its factory price at KRW 41 million received much attention. With the diverse public opinions regarding this, OLEDNET looked into price trend of TV of similar size.
According to UBI Research, Samsung Electronics’ 78 inch SUHD TV product is being sold at USD 7997.99 ~ 9997.99 (lowest price at Amazon). Released in April, these products utilize quantum dot film attached LCD panel.
For Sony which uses LCD, 75 inch product released in January costs approximately KRW 6.7 million as of July, and 85 inch product costs approximately KRW 9 million. Sony products are less costly than Samsung and LG products.
The actual market price of LG Electronics’ 77 inch OLED TV is not yet exactly known. However, the comparison with its factory price of KRW 41 million shows it is about 4 times more expensive than Samsung Electronics’ 78 inch product and Sony’s 85 inch product.
Compared to LCD TV, existing large OLED TV of same size is about twice as expensive. Although the gap has been recently reduced, this is due to LG Electronics’ OLED TV price reduction. While it is true that OLED TV is pricier, that does not mean it is not marketable. In fact, LG Electronics announced that Q2 2016 OLED TV sales increased by 4 times compared to previous quarter through conference call.
However, some believe that the fact the difference is approximately 4 times, rather than twice, will bring down the competitiveness. Regarding this issue, Choong Hoon Yi of UBI Research explained that considering that the yield drops rapidly as the size increases, the price of LG’s 77 inch new product is not totally out of order. He added that the price will drop with yield improvement, and looking at TV market trend so far, the market price could eventually be half of the factory price.
LG Electronics’ 77 inch OLED TV could fall to about KRW 20 million from KRW 41 million, reducing the price gap against LCD TV of similar size to approximately 2 times. Yi further added that despite being twice as expensive as LCD TV, OLED TV has been solidifying its position in the market.

Taiwan’s Q2 2016 LCD Shipment, Small to Medium Size ↓, Large Size ↑…Business Profit of AUO, Innolux, etc. Reduced

/0 Comments/in /by
Taiwanese panel industry recorded decreased small to medium size LCD panel shipment and increased shipment of 9 inch or bigger large size LCD panel. (Picture Source = AUO)

Taiwanese panel industry in recorded decreased small to medium size LCD panel shipment and increased shipment of 9 inch or bigger large size LCD panel. (Picture Source = AUO)

 

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

In Q2 2016, Taiwanese panel industry recorded decreased small to medium size LCD panel shipment and increased shipment of 9 inch or bigger large size panel.

According to DigiTimes, Taiwanese TFT-LCD panel companies shipped 58.38 million units of ≥ 9 inch panels in Q2 2016, an increase of 18.1% QoQ, and 0.8% increase YoY. The small to medium size panel shipment was 269.249 million units, a decrease of 0.5% QoQ, and 6.3% decrease YoY.

In terms of small to medium size, ≤ 9 inch, Chunghwa Picture Tubes (CPT) led the shipment volume with 100.56 million units, and HannStar Display followed with 67.892 million units in Q2. For LCD panels ≥ 9 inch, AUO led the Taiwanese market with Q2 shipment of 27.11 million units. Of these 7.176 million units are for TV, and the rest are for notebook, monitor, and tablet. Following AUO, Innolux recorded 27.09 million units of shipment. Of these 10.72 million units are for TV, and the rest are for notebook, monitor, and tablet.

According to companies’ recent Q2 performance announcement, key Taiwanese LCD companies, including AUO and Innolux, reported decreased business profit. AUO reported TWD 80,000 million in Q2 sales, a 13% fall YoY, and TWD 116 million in business profit, approximately 98% decrease YoY. Innolux showed TWD 66,800 million in Q2 sales, decrease of approximately 29%, and business loss of TWD 3,039 million.

Samsung Unveils the New Galaxy Note 7

/in , , , , , , , , /by

Samsung Elec. unveils Galaxy Note 7 

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

Samsung Electronics continues to drive the smartphone market with the Galaxy Note7 by building on the company’s category-defining leadership with innovative features that set a new standard for large-screen devices. With refined craftsmanship, premium materials and a unique, symmetrical edge design, the Galaxy Note7 features:

  • A water resistant body and S Pen (IP68)
  • Top-of-the-line security that combines Samsung Knox with biometric authentication including a new iris scanning feature
  • Immersive entertainment capabilities with HDR video streaming capabilities.

The Galaxy Note7 strikes a balance between work and play, enabling people to achieve more than what they thought possible on a smartphone.

“The Galaxy Note7 combines productivity and entertainment, and strong security features. Powering a robust ecosystem, it is the ideal device for those who want to achieve more in life,” said DJ Koh, President of Mobile Communications Business, Samsung Electronics. “Life moves faster than ever now so we created the Galaxy Note7 to move with users – helping them get things done more easily wherever, whenever.”