MicroLED is a disruptive display technology that promises high brightness and high contrast while keeping power consumption low. These features are particularly relevant for augmented reality (AR) and virtual reality (VR) applications to deliver the best visual experience.
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With LCD panel prices falling at the fastest rates ever, display industry fab utilization is expected to slow down in the fourth quarter of 2021, according to the latest release of DSCC’s Quarterly All Display Fab Utilization Report, issued this week. In Q3 2021, total TFT input for all display makers was up 3% Q/Q and 12% Y/Y at 87.3M square meters, and in the current Q4 2021, we expect total TFT input to be down 3% Q/Q but still up 7% Y/Y at 85.1M square meters.
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Organic TFT material supplier SmartKem signed a joint development agreement last week with RiTdisplay to produce a full color demo of an AMOLED display using SmartKem’s TRUFLEX backplane technology and ink materials and RiTdisplay’s OLED process, fab and drive electronics. RiTdisplay CEO D.C. Wang indicated that this partnership signifies RiTdisplay’s opportunity in AMOLEDs. RiTdisplay has built a nice business in PMOLEDs. Their PMOLEDs range in size from 0.42” to 3.8” in monochrome and from 0.95” to 1.8” in full color. They are targeting the industrial, IoT, wearable and other small display markets. They claim 15K substrates per month at 370 x 470mm. RiTdisplay likely sees AMOLEDs as a way to boost growth. But rather than compete with existing players with a similar process, they see a partnership with SmartKem to compete with a lower backplane cost and possibly higher performance as well. The OTFT process does not require expensive LTPS, implant or CVD steps. The release says that RiTdisplay believes the partnership with SmartKem will create displays with higher brightness, higher resolution, better reliability, larger sizes along with super slim and bendable characteristics.
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DSCC has released its latest update of our Advanced TV Display Cost Report, with updates to OLED and LCD cost profiles. This quarter’s edition includes updates to all sizes of WOLED panels and 55”+ LCD sizes, including LCD with MiniLED backlights, and some cost profiles for new OLED sizes, including 97” UHD. The surge in demand for flat panel display panels and other electronic devices has resulted in shortages for several critical components, including glass substrates, driver ICs and PCBAs. These shortages have had a bigger impact on LCD costs than on OLED panel costs, which are still declining compared to 2020 as yields improve.
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In a direct challenge to Corning’s dominant position in smartphone cover glass, German glassmaker SCHOTT launched a new cover glass last week, Xensation Alpha (α), that they call “nearly unbreakable”. Xensation α is a chemically strengthened lithium alumino borosilicate (LABS) glass and the company believes it is the best of breed. According to SCHOTT’s, Xensation Alpha outperforms current aluminosilicate (AS) or lithium aluminosilicate (LAS) cover glass by up to 100% when it comes to drop performance and is less susceptible to scratches than commercially available AS and LAS glass substrates. SCHOTT also claimed that the new material offers significantly better drop performance from double the height compared to other LAS-based premium cover glasses. SCHOTT also claimed the new glass offers better scratch resistance than commercially available AS and LAS glass types and achieves the same performance whether its bent or flat.
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Last weekend there was a heavyweight championship fight between the UK’s Tyson Fury and the USA’s Deontay Wilder. But, DSCC has been working to quantify another heavyweight fight between OLEDs and MiniLED backlit LCDs in the tablet, notebook and monitor markets. The battle between OLEDs and MiniLEDs is expected to last for years. Both are likely to see tremendous growth and could be labeled winners as will the consumer who will enjoy better performing displays at lower and lower prices.
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The TV market in the second half of 2021 is slowing down, which is the main factor in an increasing oversupply in the LCD industry. Because of the long-time lag required to bring new capacity online, the pandemic-driven supply shortage that started in 2020 extended to the middle of this year, but panel supplies continued to increase in Q3 despite the industry shifting to oversupply. Even a slowdown in Q4 2021 will not absorb an inventory overhang which will persist into 2022.
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Last week, many provinces and states in China deployed a strict electricity usage policy with a significant impact to the entire country. Many publicly listed companies have had to shut down their plants partially or fully. The constraints in electricity usage not only affect manufacturers, but also extend to electricity for residents in some areas. The electricity constraints are likely to continue for the rest of 2021.
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The latest turn of the Crystal Cycle has been characterized by several unprecedented developments: the largest price increase from trough to peak, the longest period of rising prices and the first time TV prices increased. Now we can add another item to the list: the largest price drop in a month. LCD TV panel prices fell in September at their fastest rate ever on a percentage basis and have now lost more than half the gains that they achieved in the long up-cycle from May 2020 to June 2021.
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DSCC has released its 338-page report on The Future of OLED Manufacturing, which is really a look at how all aspects of OLEDs are likely to evolve with special attention paid to how OLED manufacturers are likely to address the IT display opportunity including the scale up of G6 FMM VTE-based RGB OLEDs to G8.5 and the migration from LTPS/LTPO to IGZO. This breakthrough report is divided into five sections: Commercial/Industrial History of OLEDs Historical and Current Technical Challenges Mobile OLED Manufacturing/Roadmap IT OLED Manufacturing/Roadmap OLED TV Manufacturing/Roadmap
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