JOLED, Panasonic and SCREEN Finetech Solutions cooperate in printed OLED displays for TV use

 

JOLED Inc. (Tokyo, Japan), which develops and manufactures OLED displays, Panasonic Production Engineering Co., Ltd. (Osaka, Japan), a developer and designer of production equipment, and SCREEN Finetech Solutions Co., Ltd. (Kyoto, Japan), a supplier of various types of equipment used in display manufacturing processes, have concluded a business cooperation agreement. The contract relates to the development, manufacture, sales and service of printing equipment for the manufacture of large-sized printed OLED displays, intended mainly for use in TVs.

JOLED plans to move forward on the licensing of manufacturing technologies using its printing method to manufacturers and other companies aiming to manufacture OLED displays for use in large-sized TVs. As part of these efforts, the three companies will jointly develop businesses in development, manufacture, sales, and service of printing equipment for customers. The three companies will strive to commercialise the business swiftly to promote broad use of the printing method, which enables efficient production, and to facilitate their own growth and business expansion by capturing growing demand in the continually expanding OLED TV market.

OLED displays are self-illuminating devices that deliver superb picture quality with high contrast, high colour reproducibility, and a fast response rate. Their other advantages include the ability to balance low energy consumption with thin forms and light weights. In recent years, they are seeing increasing use in applications such as large sized TVs and smartphones. With flexibility from use of plastic substrates and further improvements in their thinness and lightness, they also can be expected to promise new applications such as use in automotive onboard displays, and they are attracting increasing attention as next-generation displays.

The printing method of manufacturing OLED displays is a technology for coating and forming of OLED materials through printing. Since it simplifies the production process compared to the conventional chemical vapour-deposition method, it is expected to offer considerable benefits in areas such as efficiency of material use and capital investment, especially for the production of large sized displays. The Manufacturing Technology and Engineering Division and OLED Display Development Division of the Panasonic Corporation began working together to develop printed OLED displays in around 2006, and since its founding in 2015 JOLED and Panasonic Production Engineering have continued joint development of printing equipment while JOLED has established mass-production technologies, including related processes. At present, the 21.6-inch 4K OLED displays manufactured on the pilot line are shipped for use in applications such as medical monitors and high-end monitors.

JOLED’s technology licensing activities include provision of technologies for manufacture of printed OLED displays and supporting their adoption. Utilising its experiences in the design and development of production equipment that has supported manufacturing in the Panasonic Group as well as support for setting up such equipment, and its experience in joint development of printing equipment with JOLED, Panasonic Production Engineering will handle design and development of printing equipment to match its customers’ needs. SCREEN Finetech Solutions, utilising its network and its experience in providing various types of equipment used in display manufacturing processes and related services to customers in Japan and around the world, will manufacture printing equipment under license to Panasonic Production Engineering, and will sell it and provide maintenance and other services together with JOLED.

All three companies will combine their technologies and knowledge to develop a full-fledged structure for supporting customers’ adoption of this technology, while also striving diligently toward its swift commercialisation.

Caption: A flexible OLED display (photo: JOLED)

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