At the end of February, Taiwanese company AU Optronics (AUO), one of the largest LCD panel manufacturers on the island, about the intention to expand the production base for the production of screens based on OLED technology. Today, AUO has only one such facility, a 4.5G plant located in Singapore. At that time, the company's management did not provide any details about plans to expand production. These plans became known only the other day and then from third parties.
ΠΠ°ΠΊ Taiwanese online resource DigiTimes, AU Optronics will start building a new plant (line) for the production of OLED in the second half of this year. This will be the plant of the so-called 6th generation (6G). The dimensions of the 6G generation substrates are 1,5 Γ 1,85 m. Today, such substrates are mainly used for the production of screens for smartphones. Notably, this will be OLED production using industrial inkjet printing. AUO admits that they started developing OLED inkjet printing just six years ago. Today, the company sees significant progress in the development of this technology, for which we also need to thank the companies that develop the raw materials and production equipment necessary for such work. For example, LG Chem on its shoulders the task of becoming a global supplier of raw materials for OLED inkjet printing.
Even before the construction of the 6G generation plant, DigiTimes industry sources from Taiwan are sure that AUO will deploy a pilot line for inkjet printing on 3.5G generation substrates. This event supposedly should occur before the middle of this year. Note that the company's current 4.5G generation OLED production in Singapore uses traditional vacuum deposition technology.
The company also plans to begin commercial shipments of foldable OLEDs. According to the AUO management, this will happen next fall. According to rumors, Lenovo plans to use the company's flexible OLED in foldable smartphones under the Motorola brand.
Source: 3dnews.ru