Alliance to Focus on Reducing OLEDs Production Costs
WILMINGTON, Del. and KYOTO, Japan, May 7 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ --
DuPont (NYSE: DD) and Dainippon Screen Manufacturing Co., Ltd., today
announced their intention to form a strategic alliance to develop
integrated manufacturing equipment for printed organic light emitting diode
(OLED) displays. The companies also have signed an agreement relating to
their intention to bring together the elements needed -- materials,
technology and equipment -- to mass produce OLED displays, delivering
higher performance at a lower cost.
OLEDs are displays in which pixels are created using thin films made of
emissive organic materials. Compared with liquid crystal displays (LCDs),
OLEDs can have much higher contrast ratios, lower power consumption
(because pixels draw power only when they are in use), faster response
time, and eliminate the need for the backlight and color filter. Small-size
active matrix OLED displays have recently become available from several
manufacturers, but the current high-cost of manufacturing limits market
adoption, and constrains OLED manufacturing for large size displays.
"The flat panel display market is about $100 billion annually and
growing. DuPont is applying its science to make possible more vivid
displays that are lower cost than current LCD displays," said David B.
Miller, group vice president, DuPont Electronic & Communication
Technologies. "We are excited to combine our strengths with Dainippon
Screen's unique printing technology to bring to market the core technology
that will enable improved high definition televisions and other flat panel
displays."
The companies are developing integrated coating and printing equipment
for the fabrication of OLED displays from solution, an approach which is
unique in the industry and can significantly reduce manufacturing costs for
OLED displays. DuPont brings to the alliance its distinctive small
molecule-based OLED solution materials and proprietary process technology
from which excellent performance has been obtained in testing. Dainippon
Screen has developed a unique printing technology, called nozzle printing,
in which the OLED materials can be printed accurately at very high speed.
The goal of the alliance is to develop integrated OLED printing and coating
equipment that will significantly reduce the production costs of flat panel
displays, with the aim of extending OLED technology to large size displays
and making them cost-competitive with LCDs.
The companies have been working together over the past three years to
jointly develop nozzle printers as an efficient method for printing OLED
displays from solution. The first production scale printer is currently
being constructed.
"We were interested in extending our deep LCD equipment experience into
the OLED marketplace and we felt that DuPont had developed a much needed,
viable approach to OLED materials and technology that could expedite the
commercialization of cost-effective OLED manufacturing," said Yoshinari
Yaoi, corporate senior executive officer and president, FPD Equipment
Company, Dainippon Screen. "We believe that this alliance could be the key
for manufacturers to be able to produce affordable, high-quality larger
sized OLEDs using our unique nozzle printer technology."
Dainippon Screen, established in 1943, is a leading supplier of flat
panel display and semiconductor equipment. Screen is currently involved in
manufacturing production equipment in a variety of fields, including FPDs,
semiconductors, printed circuit boards, and printing and prepress equipment
such as thermal CtP recorders and on-demand printing systems. For more
information, please visit: http://www.screen.co.jp.
DuPont is a science-based products and services company. Founded in
1802, DuPont puts science to work by creating sustainable solutions
essential to a better, safer, healthier life for people everywhere.
Operating in more than 70 countries, DuPont offers a wide range of
innovative products and services for markets including agriculture and
food; building and construction; communications; and transportation. For
more information, please visit: http://www.dupont.com.
Photo: OLEDs With DuPont and Dainippon Technology --
http://www2.dupont.com/Media_Center/en_US/assets/mmg/images/DuPont_OLED_Dis
pla y.jpg
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Caption: 4.3" diagonal full-color OLED made with DuPont materials and
Dainippon equipment
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