The AMOLED future in an LCD world

The AMOLED (active-matrix organic light-emitting diode) represents a rapidly growing and highly promising technology for display applications. Based on planned investments, NPD DisplaySearch forecasts the market will grow nearly tenfold from 2.3M m² in 2012 to more than 22M m² in 2016. Most AMOLED capacity is currently dedicated to small and medium production for smart phones, but much of the capacity increase going forward is expected to be driven by fabs dedicated to TV production. There are many unknowns about how far and how fast it will develop, though, since AMOLED technology has not yet been proven in large-size TVs. According to the NPD DisplaySearch AMOLED Process Roadmap Report, the manufacturing cost of a 55" oxide TFT-based AMOLED using white OLED with color filters is 8 times that of a high-end 55" TFT LCD display of equal size. The cost multiplier of a 55" AMOLED module using red, green, and blue OLED is 10 times. These higher costs are mainly a result of low yields and high materials costs. Jae-Hak Choi, Senior Analyst, FPD Manufacturing for NPD DisplaySearch, noted, "While cost reduction in LCDs has slowed, large panel AMOLED cost reduction is in its infancy. High resolution continues to be a relative weakness for [small and medium] AMOLEDs compared to LCDs. High-resolution patterning such as laser induced thermal imaging (LITI) and material improvements are still required for AMOLED to be highly competitive for super high-resolution flat panel displays," he added. "In the long-term, new and improved processes, printing technology, and higher performance materials will reduce AMOLED costs to levels equal to or lower than LCD." NPD DisplaySearch AMOLED Process Roadmap Report,