CSOT, the manufacturing branch of TCL, has been achieving notable progress with its inkjet-printed OLED technology. They are making significant improvements in efficiency and reducing production costs. Ming-Jong Jou, who leads the Technology Planning Center, presented these advancements at the Omdia Korea Display Conference.
A New Approach to OLED Production
Rather than relying on the traditional evaporation technique for creating OLEDs, this innovative method employs precise inkjet printers, marking a significant change. This transition has resulted in a 50 percent reduction in internal light loss, while light output efficiency has increased by approximately 1.5 times.
Efficiency and Resource Management
Though inkjet printing is already a part of OLED manufacturing for applying encapsulation layers and quantum dots, especially in Samsung's QD-OLEDs, TCL CSOT has taken it a step further. They are now utilizing it for emitters and various stack materials, which enables them to optimize their resource usage—achieving up to 90 percent material efficiency. This is double the performance compared to earlier methods. Additionally, they have cut blue light emissions by half.
Cost Reduction and Future Plans
This technology goes beyond just efficiency improvements; it also reduces manufacturing costs by 20 percent and accelerates product development by 30 percent. They have already showcased several applications of this technology, including a 65-inch 8K curved OLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate and 1800R curvature, a 31-inch 4K dome-shaped OLED, and a 14-inch 2.8K laptop display.
The company intends to commence small-scale production by the end of 2024, beginning with 21.6-inch 4K OLED panels designed for medical monitors. After that, they aim to expand into producing medium-sized OLED panels for computing devices in 2025.
