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Can BLUE OLED be used for OLED TV?

Samsung Display selected blue OLED + QDCF (blue OLED) as next generation display technology following LCD TV, and started the necessary development.

Blue OLED is a technology, in which blue light emitted from blue OLED passes through a quantum dot color filter to represent red and green colors (b). The WRGB OLED used in OLED TV is a method in which white light passes through a color filter and implements RGB colors (a).

The ‘2018 OLED Materials Industry Report’ published by UBI Research on April 18 describes whether blue OLED, which Samsung Display has started to develop, can become TV OLED panels. The expected development direction and performance (efficiency and lifetime) of blue OLED + QDCF are analyzed. In particular, current status and development trends (fluorescence, phosphorescence, TADF) of blue emitting material, which is the core material of blue OLED, are covered.

Since blue OLED of Samsung Display is top emission type, the aperture ratio is increased by about 70% compared to the bottom emission, which emits light in the TFT direction, so that 8K resolution and high brightness are realized better than the conventional WRGB OLED. In addition, it is expected to reach BT. 2020, the UHD color standard, which was established by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in 2012, using QD material with high color reproduction rate as color filter.

In the future premium TV market, 8K and BT. 2020 are necessary conditions for display. WRGB OLED is also being actively developed to implement 8K and BT2020. Attention is focused on the impact of the development of blue OLED in the premium TV market led by WRGB OLED.

In addition, the report analyzes the market status and development trends of the related companies, including overall technology development directions and key issues for new materials such as soluble OLED materials and near IR materials.

Solution Process OLED, Max. 40% Decrease in Component Material Cost Possible Compared to WRGB

According to 2017 Solution Process OLED Annual Report published by UBI Research, when solution process (ink-jet printing) is applied to large area OLED, it could reduce up to 40% of component material cost, and approximately more than 18% of production cost compared to WRGB process that uses evaporation method.

 

Solution process is a technology that can manufacture RGB pixel structure of large size OLED panel without cutting mother glass using Gen8 manufacturing equipment or larger.

 

UBI Research analyst Hyunjun Jang explained that the solution process applied OLED has a simpler panel structure with 5 layers compared to 20 layers of WRGB OLED. WRGB OLED process material usage efficiency is only at 40% but solution process application could increase this to over 90%. Jang added that the lack of color filter is a factor that could decrease panel production price by reducing development cost. Particularly, this can greatly reduce emitting materials usage which occupies much of materials cost and contribute considerably to the fall in production cost. Furthermore, he added that cost setting of soluble emitting material per gram will be an important factor in production cost decrease and emphasized that organic material usage greatly decreases when soluble emitting materials are used but must consider price increase due to solvent cost, production cost, and development cost.

 

Solution process technology continues to receive attention as a key technology that can lead popularization of large area OLED, and key AMOLED panel companies are carrying out development.

 

In terms of technology, solution process OLED has lower emitting efficiency and short lifetime as diverse solvent is added to existing evaporation materials to transform into ink leading to low purity. This has been an important issue for panel and material companies for past several years. To improve this, DuPont, Merck, Sumitomo Chemical and others have been actively developing soluble OLED emitting materials. Much like evaporation materials, blue materials showed particular difficulty in performance improvement. However, at present significant portion of technology development has been carried out and investigation shows approximately 80% of lifetime and efficacy of has been achieved compared to evaporation materials.

 

2017 Solution Process OLED Annual Report compared and analysed WRGB OLED and solution process OLED’s competitiveness in terms of process, materials, and cost. Key issues, soluble OLED emitting materials development status, key companies’ trend, and solution process OLED market are analysed from various perspectives.

<Source: WRGB OLED and solution process OLED production cost comparison, UBI Research 2017 Solution Process OLED Annual Report>

UBI Research holds the 1H Semester Seminar “OLED Market Analysis and Latest Technology Seminar (June 30, 2017 Federation of Korean Industries Head Office Building)

■ 2017 1H general review of the technical issues and the market of OLED industry.

■ 2H09 market outlook and change point forecast through 1H issue analysis.

UBI Research will hold the 1H semester seminar: OLED market analysis and latest technology seminar which will be able to forecast OLED market issues in the first half of 2017 and predict market outlook and change points in 2H07 on June 30 (Fri) at Yeouido FKI Conference Center.

It will be analyzed the technical issues and market in the OLED industry in the first half of the 17th year under the theme of “OLED Market Analysis and Latest Technologies”. In addition, it seems to forecast the 2H OLED market and change points for 2H through 1H issue analysis.

In this seminar, technology development status and prospects of TADF OLED, Soluble OLED, and Flexible OLED technology that are emerging as next generation OLED technology will be intensively introduced with the key experts in related fields. It will be a place to look at the latest OLED technologies and to see in advance how OLED future technologies will evolve.

▲ Market forecasts by analyzing OLED industry investment and mass production in the first half of 2017(Lee Choong-Hoon, representative of UBI Research), ▲ A new display paradigm ‘OLED'(Kwon Seong-Ryul, team leader of Dongbu Securities), will intensively analyze future display industry with the theme. ▲ Recent trends of TADF OLED luminescent materials(Prof Lee Jun-Yeob of Sungkyunkwan University), ▲ A New approach to improve OLED luminescence efficiency(Prof. Kim Jae-Hoon, Hanyang University), ▲ Development of Highly Efficient Multi-Functional Emitting Materials for Organic Light-Emitting Diode Application(Prof Jin Sung-Ho of Pusan National University), ▲ Flexible Display Technology Development Trends and Challenges(Prof. Lee Ki-Yong, Hanyang University), ▲Plane Source Evaporation for Very High ppi AMOLED (OLEDON/Prof. Hwang Chang-Hoon of Dankook University). With the theme of ‘It is time to challenge’ he will present the latest technology issues and directions for further growth of the display industry.

In this seminar, we will take a comprehensive view of the market and technology from the overall OLED industry, investment perspective, and economic perspective, it is expected to be a place where various high-quality information and networking exchanges will be formed along with domestic core experts, and the status and future of display technology can be forecasted.

[Lighting Japan 2016] What is the Key Issue of Solution OLED Materials?

In Lighting Japan 2016 (January 13-16) conference, Sumitomo Chemical and Merck revealed recently developed soluble OLED materials performance results.

 

The soluble OLED materials efficiency published in this conference reached ≥ 65% of UDC’s evaporation materials; particularly, Sumitomo Chemical’s red achieved ≥ 85%, and green reached ≥ 88% of UDC’s evaporation materials efficiency. Lifetime (LT 95) results were not as good as efficiency with red’s 25% and green’s approximately 40% (average).

 

Sumitomo Chemical and Merck both revealed that although in terms of efficiency the soluble materials almost caught up to evaporation materials, but lifetime requires further development.

 

Solution process is a method that allows for large area OLED panel production in RGB method using ≥ Gen8 manufacturing equipment. Key panel companies are actively carrying out research development, and the performance of soluble OLED material is considered the biggest issue. According to Solution Process OLED Report 2015, published by UBI Research, when solution process is applied the material cost can be approximately 40% reduced compared to the current evaporation process using large area OLED panel. The timing for the solution process application to mass production is expected to be decided depending on the development speed of soluble OLED materials.

 

OLED Materials Performance Comparison

OLED Materials Performance Comparison