Samsung Display has changed its priorities in developing its eighth-generation IT OLED panels.
Samsung is planning to delay investment in the full-cut, vertical deposition method it has been developing with Japan’s Ulvac for more than a year. Samsung Display will instead invest in Canon Tokki’s half-cut horizontal deposition method, which has been under development, the sources said. This approach has been commercialized to supply Apple with OLED panels for its iPad tablets. Apple is planning to launch an iPad with an OLED panel.
Samsung Display has been developing full-cut vertical deposition equipment with Ulvac to make single-layer OLED panels, or only a single RGB emissive layer, to supply panels to Asus and other PC makers.
On the other hand, a project with Canon Tokki is developing a half-cut horizontal deposition facility to make dual-stack tandem OLED panels with dual RGB emissive layers.
Apple has asked its display makers to develop OLED panels that are double-stacked in series.
Another reason for the delay in Samsung’s project with Ulvac could be due to the immaturity of the technology.
Samsung Display is planning to use 8.7-generation substrates, but the deposition equipment developed is more for 8.5-generation substrates. While their dimensions of 2290x2620mm may not seem large compared to 2200x2500mm, when it comes to actually make the device, a major redesign was required.
The sluggish economy also means that Samsung Display is in no rush to spend huge sums on eighth-generation OLED panels amid sluggish demand for consumer electronics.
