 Facilities to produce active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AM OLED) displays at the Samsung SDI plant in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province. A global battle to dominate the “dream display” market is getting fiercer. / Courtesy of Samsung SDI |
The global display industry is looking for new growth engines in the belief that the world display market will enter a period of maturity in 2010. Active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AM OLED) and flexible displays are among those high-tech devices pursued aggressively by companies around the world.
By Kim Yoo-chul
Staff Reporter
A battle for survival in active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AM OLED) displays, the next “cash cow” market, is getting fiercer after Samsung SDI started mass production of the “dream displays” last month.
The global AM OLED market is expected to reach 119 million units in 2011, from seven million this year, and the market is forecast to reach $3.9 billion by then from about $60 million in 2007, according to DisplaySearch, a U.S.-based market research firm.
Last week, LG.Philips LCD said it will begin producing 2.2- and 3-inch AM OLED in the first quarter of next year, while Taiwan-based Chi Mei Optoelectronics also unveiled a plan to mass produce the displays for smaller electronic devices such as mobile phones and music players by early next year through its affiliate Chi Mei El. Toshiba-Matsushita Display Technology also jumped on the bandwagon by announcing its plan to produce 20.8-inch AM OLED for television sets by 2009.
Samsung SDI said its monthly AM OLED capacity will reach eight million panels in 2008 as it plans to include panels for digital-picture frames for ultramobile personal computers Even larger AM OLED TVs are likely to be commercialized in 2010.
“We are set to introduce 40-inch AM OLED TV screens three years later,” a high-ranking official from Samsung SDI told The Korea Times.
Why AM OLED?
OLED displays consist of two types -- passive matrix organic light-emitting diode (PM OLED) and AM OLED. PM OLED had initially been commercialized but display makers are shifting to AM OLED as the PM application was confined only to smaller devices such as MP3 players because of its technological limit.
Compared to a flat-panel LCD television with a known actual contrast ratio of 1,000:1 or a plasma TV with 20,000:1, an AM OLED TV is said to have more than a 1,000,000:1 contrast ratio. Moreover, the displays can handle fast motion such as the movement in video games very smoothly.
Its response time is 1,000 times faster than that of LCDs, reducing the production of after images. Unlike LCDs, AM OLEDs do not require pricey backlighting.
This results in about 30 percent thinner displays than LCDs, while consuming 40 percent less power. Additionally, AM OLEDs have become a robust and cost-competitive technology.
Without considering these market-driven factors, AM OLED has an irresistible attraction for the display industry as it could be manufactured in the form of flexible or near-flexible sheets, pushing TV makers to roll out screens for televisions by the meter.
For these advantages, market analysts have generally agreed this promising display type will eventually phase out flat-panel LCD and plasma televisions in a few years.
“AM OLEDs have many strengths. They consume less power but produce brighter images that could be flexible. That’s why I am very positive the displays will dominate the thinscreen market just as LCDs have replaced bulky, bold cathode-ray tubes (CRTs) in the short span of time,” said Kim Jea-wook, chief of Samsung’s display division.
Strategic Alliance Key to Success
Despite the strengths, market analysts say strategic alliances with parts makers securing clients to provide the panels could be the key for the expansion of the AM OLED market as LCDs are becoming much cheaper to produce on the back of steadily developing technologies.
“To beat out LCDs from the market, AM OLED makers should reduce investment risks by forming a solid partnership with clients and parts suppliers for price competitiveness,” said Kim Dong-won, an official from the Korea Display Industry Association.
The official added enhancing contrast and brightness and extending longevity still remain to be resolved. The longevity of the organic materials used to create onscreen images reportedly lasts less than 10 percent as long as LCDs.
The comments came after Samsung SDI recently announced that it had developed the industry’s first AM OLED chip . 6X6 millimeter-wide and 0.6 nanometerthick -- for improving contrast and image by strengthening color reproduction.
yckim@koreatimes.co.kr
