Samsung Display is discussing FMM development cooperation with APS Holdings with a pixel density of 3500 PPI.
The purpose is to develop RGB OLEDoS required for VR and AR devices. APS Holdings disclosed OLEDoS with 3000 PPI pixels late last year.
APS Holdings stated that it developed OLEDoS (OLED on Silicon) with a pixel density of 3000 PPI at the end of last year
Samsung Display is discussing with APS Holdings to develop a fine metal mask (FMM) with a pixel density of 3500 PPI. This is related to Samsung Display's plan to develop OLEDoS: (OLED on Silicon) in the "red (R) green (G) blue (B) mode". OLEDoS can be used for virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) devices that require ultra high resolution screens.
There are roughly two ways to evaporate OLEDoS for organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) onto silicon substrates. LG Display is developing a "WOLED+CF" OLEDoS method by forming RGB color filters (CF) on W-OLEDs, where the white light emitted by W-OLEDs is colored through RGB color filters.
As a latecomer who began to develop OLEDoS technology, Samsung Display plans to mainly develop "RGB mode" OLEDoS that evaporates RGB OLED pixels onto the same layer. It is reported that Samsung Display has cooperated with Apple in the United States to develop RGB OLEDoS. The company has also been developing RGB OLEDoS.
It is speculated that Samsung Display is considering a 3500PPI FMM cooperation with APS Holdings because potential customer companies believe that the display pixel density of VR and AR devices should reach 3500PPI.
Apple has invited companies such as Samsung Display and LG Display to develop OLEDoS at the 3500 PPI level. Although Apple previously invited 2800 PPI for OLEDoS development, it has now upgraded it to 3500 PPI.
APS Holdings is developing the FMM required for RGB mode OLEDoS. At the end of last year, OLEDoS with 3000 PPI was also released. APS Materials, a subsidiary of APS Holdings that specializes in FMM business, directly conducts organic vapor deposition and packaging (protecting OLEDs from moisture and oxygen) processes on the OLEDoS FMM R&D production line in Tian'an, Zhongqing South Road.
APS Holdings processes FMM holes in a laser pattern. This is because the etching methods used in existing small and medium-sized OLEDs have limitations in the processing of ultra-precision holes above 600 PPI.
At the end of last year, APS Holdings stated that "the core of ultra-high resolution FMM is hole processing technology and ultra-thin Invar (nickel iron special alloy)." "When processing Invar that is thinner than the thickness of hair, it is necessary to maintain thickness uniformity and physical properties." "APS Holdings further stated that" since 2018, we have operated our own ultra-thin Invar processing production line, "and said that" the 3000PPI level FMM Invar is also a product with an 8-micron (um) thickness that applies our own technology. ". Currently, the Invar thickness of the FMM used for QHD smartphone OLEDs is 18um.
At that time, APS Holdings stated, "In order to develop a 3000PPI level FMM, existing laser processing machines have been improved to support a maximum of 4000PPI or more." In addition, it added, "Based on FMM, we have also developed evaporation and packaging technology that can produce OLEDoS display panels in RGB mode." "Samples produced independently have been supplied to domestic and foreign panel and equipment manufacturers, and are discussing technical cooperation and commercialization.".
APS Holdings is the competent authority for the OLEDoS Korean National Policy Project, with the goal of producing 4000 PPI AR Glass samples by 2024. The title of the project is "Developing High Brightness and High Resolution Self luminescent OLED Micro Display Technology for Augmented Reality".
In addition, APS Holdings will also fulfill national policy topics this year, including the 600PPI FMM Stick manufacturing technology for the sixth generation half substrate size using laser patterning methods, and the FMM manufacturing process using less thermal deformation Invar materials.
On the other hand, LG Display focuses on OLEDoS development in WOLED+CF mode. It is expected that Sony of Japan will supply Apple's first hybrid reality (MR) device with OLEDoS in WOLED+CF mode. The disadvantage of WOLED+CF is that when white light passes through a color filter, the brightness of the light becomes weaker. The brightness of light is related to contrast, resulting in poor image quality and expressiveness.
Samsung Display began developing OLEDoS in the middle of last year. Previously, due to the small market, it did not attract much attention, but at the request of customer companies such as Samsung Electronics, it finally entered this business.
Samsung Display believes that the entry threshold for the existing WOLED+CF OLEDoS method is low, so it has set the goal of giving priority to the development of RGB OLEDoS methods. However, there are also views that WOLED+CF OLEDoS can also achieve 3500PPI, so there is no need to develop RGB OLEDoS.
Adding virtual images to AR device displays in the real world is another matter. In AR devices, the "LED on Silicon" technology of forming light emitting diodes (LEDs) on silicon is more advantageous than OLEDoS.
Unlike VR devices where the device worn by the user is not visible from the outside, AR devices must have brighter light because they are visible from the outside. However, in order to achieve ultra high resolution screens, LED chips must be made smaller, and as LEDs become smaller, their characteristics weaken.