OLED Could Be Next Laptop Display Type, but Challenges Loom: Report
OLED is gradually becoming mainstream for smartphones, but it still has many challenges to overcome to expand to other applications that involve larger display sizes, said a Thursday TrendForce report. TFT-LCD as a traditional display technology is almost at full…
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maturity in terms of product design, said the research firm, creating an opportunity for OLEDs to be used in larger displays. The penetration rate of OLED panels in IT products will reach 2.8% by 2025 on gradual deployment of panel production capacity, then nearly doubling to 5.2% the next year, TrendForce said. The migration of OLED technology to larger generations is being driven by improvements in process technologies and materials, it said, but challenges remain. Some panel suppliers are hopeful vertical evaporation will solve the problem of sagging of the fine metal mask, if technical challenges are addressed, it said. Apple is considering adopting a two-stacked tandem structure that can extend the lifespan of OLED displays, it said. Larger generation fabs offer a higher glass utilization rate, with Generation 8.7 having a 10% gain in production efficiency vs. Gen 8.5, it said. To be adopted for foldable notebook computers, companies will have to find the right material for the cover lens. Samsung has adopted a color filter on encapsulation solution for its foldable smartphones, but notebook PCs' larger screen size is susceptible to glare, it said. Touch functionality is more susceptible to environmental noise interference as display size increases, said the research firm. In addition, burn-in on an OLED display occurs where static app icons are located. Anti-aging tech such as pixel shifting and the tandem structure can reduce pixel current by half, it said. In the future, OLED development “could reach the point where burn-in could be effectively resolved."