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[GLOBAL TECH KOREA 2021] Solus Advanced Materials ‘Expansion of new businesses other than light emitting materials such as high refractive filler and TFE’

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At ‘GLOBAL TECH KOREA 2021’ held in September 2021, Taehyung Kim, Head of Electronic Materials Business Division, Solus Advanced Materials made a presentation under the theme of ‘Solus’ Giant Step To Lead OLED Materials Technology’.

Solus Advanced Materials has monopolized the HBL market for over 8 years as a domestic display material specialist. Director Kim of Solus Advanced Materials said, “During the development of HBL, we also developed ETL with similar chemical structure and important compatibility with HBL. The performance is evaluated as equal to or higher than that of other companies’ top performance, and it will be able to enter the market soon.”

Director Kim said, “Originally, we mainly developed ETL or HBL related to electronics, but it was difficult to develop from the perspective of the overall device, so we developed HTL related to hall.” In addition “The development of HTL was completed about two years ago through joint development with LG Display, and it was approved for large panel use in May” he said. He also said, “The panel supply is gradually increasing and will be expanded to the Guangzhou line by next year.”, “HTL is structurally related to g-prime for mobile, so it is expected that it can be expanded to g-prime on the mobile side,” he said.

Solus Advanced Materials is developing not only light-emitting materials, but also high-refractive fillers and TFEs. Director Kim said, “The mass production of fillers will be visible from this year. There are various materials such as epoxy, urethane, and acrylic type, and we plan to mass-produce the refractive index and viscosity control according to customer specifications.”

In the TFE sector, General Manager Kim said, “The permittivity of TFE currently used in the market is 3.0 or higher, and we received a request to lower the permittivity of the monomer by 30% or more to increase touch sensitivity two years ago and have been developing it. “The permittivity of the TFE monomer being developed by Solus is down to 20%, and the UV CUT function has achieved a specification of less than 5% at around 400 nanometers, and it is being promoted and tested by customers.”

Solus Advanced Materials is currently expanding its OLED-related businesses to various OLED-related luminescent materials such as HBL, ETL, and HTL, as well as high-refractive materials and TFE monomers. It is noteworthy in which areas these various business groups can shine in the future

 

AUO, Touch Taiwan 2017에서 스마트워치용 원형 OLED와 foldable OLED 전시

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AUO는 20일 개최된 Touch Taiwan 2017에서 스마트워치용 원형 OLED 3종(1.2 inch, 1.3 inch, 1.4 inch)과 접을 수 있는 OLED를 공개하였다.

AUO의 1.2 inch와 1.4 inch 원형 OLED는 326ppi를 가지며, 기존 양산제품 대비 소비전력을 30%나 줄였다. 또한, AUO는 원형 OLED 2종이 밝은 태양광 아래에서도 디스플레이 화면이 정확하게 보일 수 있도록, 밝기조절모드(brightness increase mode)를 내장하여 야외시인성을 향상시켰다.

어린이용 스마트워치를 타겟으로 한 1.3 inch OLED는 가볍고, 절전모드와 직관적인 터치 인터페이스를 탑재하여 사용성을 강화시켰다.

AUO는 접거나 돌돌 말 수 있는 2가지 형태의 5 inch foldable OLED를 전시했다. 5 inch foldable OLED 2종에는 plastic기판과 자체 개발한 구조(special structural layer)가 적용되었다.

 

<AUO, 5 inch foldable OLED touch panel 출처: AUO>

 

접을 수 있는 5 inch foldable OLED에는 독자적으로 개발한 유연한 터치스크린 센서가 내장되어 있다. AUO는 “접히는 부분의 곡률 반경이 4 mm 이하 일 때에도 우수한 화질을 제공한다”고 말했다.

5 inch rollable OLED에 대해 AUO는 “패널의 두께가 0.1 mm에 불과하며 무게는 5 g이다.”며 “4 mm의 rolling 반경을 가지는 이 제품은 넓은 색영역을 제공한다”고 설명했다.

한편, 지난 SID 2017에서 AUO는 5 inch foldable OLED가 folding시 인장이나 압축 강도를 견딜 수 있도록, TFT(thin film transistor)와 TFE(thin film encapsulation)를 neutral axis에 위치시키는 구조를 적용하였다고 발표한 바 있다.

AUO unveils round OLED and foldable OLED for the smart watch in Touch Taiwan 2017.

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AUO showed the OLED that can be collapsible and three kinds of round OLEDs (1.2-inch, 1.3-inch, 1.4-inch) for the smart watch in Touch Taiwan 2017 held on 20th.

The round OLEDs in 1.2-inch and 1.4-inch of AUO are 326ppi, and it lowers an electric consumption at 30% versus former production goods. AUO also improves the visibility capacity in outdoor by embedding the brightness increase mode to make a display screen of two kinds of round OLEDs be clear even under bright sunlight.

The 1.3-inch OLED aimed at the smart watch for kids is light in weight, and strengthens the usability with a power saving mode and an intuitive touch interface function.

AUO displays two types of 5-inch flexible OLEDs that can be rolled or folded. Such two types of 5-inch flexible OLEDs apply the plastic board and AUO self-developed structure (special structural layer).

 

<AUO, 5 inch foldable OLED touch panel>

 

The 5-inch foldable OLED combines a flexible touch screen sensor that is developed by AUO itself.  The company said “it would provide excellent image quality, even if the curvature radius of the folded part is 4mm and less”.

For 5-inch rollable OLED, they explained “The thickness of the panel is just 0.1mm and only 5g. This model with the rolling radius of 4mm will provide wide color gamut”.

In last SID 2017, AUO has announced about that they applied the structure locating the TFT (Thin Film Transistor) and TFE (Thin Film Encapsulation) at the neutral axis to stand the compression stress or tensions during being folded.

OLED Encapsulation, TFE is the Top Trend

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  • Expected application of TFE to all edge type and full screen use flexible OLED
  • PECVD manufacturing equipment, 62% of total encapsulation manufacturing equipment market

 

According to 2017 OLED Encapsulation Annual Report published by UBI Research, of OLED encapsulation technology, TFE (thin film encapsulation) will be applied to approximately 70% of total OLED panel in 2021, and become the key encapsulation technology.

OLED display trend is heading toward minimizing bezel for full screen actualization from edge type, and flexible OLED is being considered as the most optimal display for full screen. As such, Chinese panel companies, as well as Samsung Display and LG Display, are concentrating on flexible OLED mass production line investment rather than rigid.

Flexible OLED must be thin and bendable; glass using frit encapsulation Is not suitable and TFE (thin film encapsulation) or hybrid encapsulation must be applied. TFE is a structure that is formed via laminating thin inorganic and organic materials. In the early stages of development, it had 11 layers of complex organic and inorganic material deposition with low yield. However, it now has been reduced to 3 layers and greatly improved productivity, yield, and cost and it is being applied to most of flexible OLED.

 

<Thin film encapsulation development history, 2017 OLED Encapsulation Annual Report>

 

Hybrid encapsulation, which uses barrier film, is being applied to some flexible OLED. However, due to the high cost of barrier film and relatively thick thickness, recent investment is focused on TFE application.

According to UBI Research analyst Jang Hyunjun, TFE encapsulation is expected to continue to be applied to edge type and full screen type flexible OLED panel, and related manufacturing equipment and material market will carry on their growth.

The report explains that TFE’s key manufacturing equipment are inorganic material forming PECVD and organic material forming ink-jet printer. In particular, PECVD is used in inorganic material film formation of hybrid encapsulation as well as TFE. Therefore, PECVD market is estimated to record US$ 6,820 million in 2017-2021, and occupy approximately 62% of the total encapsulation manufacturing equipment market.

 

<PECVD manufacturing equipment market volume, 2017, 2017 OLED Encapsulation Annual Report>

The report includes encapsulation related key manufacturing equipment and material market in addition to encapsulation development history and trend, and key panel companies’ trend.

OLED Encapsulation, TFE가 대세

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■ 모든 edge type과 full screen용 flexible OLED에 TFE 적용 예상

■ PECVD 장비, 전체 encapsulation 장비시장의 62% 점유

 

유비리서치에서 발간한 ‘2017 OLED Encapsulation Annual Report’에 따르면 OLED encapsulation 기술 중 TFE(thin film encapsulation)가 2021년 전체 OLED panel의 약 70%에 적용될 것이며, 핵심 encapsulation 기술이 될 것으로 내다봤다.

 

OLED display trend는 최근 edge type에서 bezel을 최소화하여 full screen을 구현하는 형태로 진행되고 있으며, flexible OLED가 full screen 구현에 최적화된 display로 손꼽히고 있다. 따라서 Samsung Display와 LG Display를 비롯한 중국 panel 업체들도 rigid가 아닌 flexible OLED 양산라인 투자에 주력하고 있는 상황이다.

Flexible OLED는 얇고, 휘어질 수 있어야 하므로 glass를 사용하는 frit encapsulation은 적합하지 않아 TFE(thin film encapsulation) 또는 hybrid encapsulation이 적용되어야 한다.

TFE는 얇은 무기물과 유기물을 적층하여 형성하는 구조로 개발 초기에는 11 layers의 유,무기 적층으로 복잡한 공정과 낮은 수율이었으나 현재는 3layers까지 감소시켜 생산성과 수율, 비용을 크게 향상되어 대부분의 flexible OLED에 적용되고 있다.

 

<Thin film encapsulation 개발 history, ‘2017 OLED Encapsulation Annual Report’>

 

 

일부 flexible OLED에는 barrier film을 사용하는 hybrid encapsulation도 적용되고 있으나 높은 가격의 barrier film과 상대적으로 두꺼운 두께 등으로 인하여 최근 진행되고 있는 투자는 모두 TFE가 적용되고 있는 추세이다.

 

유비리서치의 장현준 선임연구원에 따르면 “TFE encapsulation은 edge type과 full screen type의 flexible OLED panel에 지속적으로 적용될 것으로 예상되며, 관련 장비와 재료시장이 지속적으로 성장할 것”이라 밝혔다.

 

보고서에 따르면 TFE의 핵심 장비는 무기물을 형성하는 PECVD와 유기물을 형성하는 ink-jet printer이며, 특히 PECVD는 TFE 뿐만 아니라 hybrid encapsulation의 무기막 형성에도 적용된다. 따라서 PECVD 시장은 2017년부터 2021년까지의 68.2억달러의 시장 규모로서 전체 encapsulation 장비시장에서 약 62%를 차지할 것으로 예상했다.

 

<PECVD 장비 시장 규모, 2017, ‘2017 OLED Encapsulation Annual Report’>

 

이번에 발간된 보고서에서는 encapsulation의 개발 히스토리와 동향, 주요 Panel 업체들의 동향을 비롯하여 encapsulation 관련 핵심 장비들과 재료 시장을 다루고 있다.