Continental panel makers shrink Technology gap with international giants

In the process of transforming to OLED, continental panel makers have narrowed the technology gap with international giants. But the fundamentals of technology and patents need to be more secure to confront international giants.

Today (21st), Jing Dongfang in Ordos 5.5 generation AMOLED (active matrix/organic Light emitting diode, active matrix Organic light-emitting diode) panel line is officially put into production, this is the first in China, The world's second 5.5-generation AMOLED line. and huaxing Photovoltaic Project two this month, and deep Tianma in Xiamen LTPs (low-temperature polycrystalline silicon) production line, also contains some AMOLED capacity. At this point, the Chinese mainland in the next generation display technology, and Japan and South Korea gap is shrinking.

However, the production line of preemptive establishment does not indicate that the local panel companies have sufficient capital. Just this month, South Korean police released a survey that said Samsung stole LG Display's OLED core technology is true.

City accounted for the first to second place in the world, the total share of the world's half share of the two South Korean panel, there is still a lack of mass production technology, so that the occurrence of patent theft, but also in the process of catching the Chinese panel enterprises, whether the technical reserves and patent reserve work?

Will the liquid crystal be overturned?

This year, LG and Samsung have been selling 55-inch OLED TVs on the market. In Huaxing Photoelectric AMOLED Development Department chief Zengzhiyuan, this year is an important year for OLED marketization, on the one hand the small size HD AMOLED panel came out (more than 440PPI), on the other hand realized the large size OLED panel (55-inch TV) commercialization.

China's eight kinescope factories have been in the CRT era, but they were wiped out in the flat-screen TV era. Will China's LCD industry be subverted as it used to?

This became one of the most contentious topics in the 2013 high-tech fair's International Display Summit forum. Shenzhen City flat Display Industry association Secretary-General Sun Jingmin that, although AMOLED has a foothold in the high-end mobile phone market, but in the TV big screen is not enough. AMOLED can be curved, and this year the surface LCD TV has been listed, the price is more affordable.

Huara, general manager of Beijing Oriental Marketing company, predicts that OLED TVs can only be opened if they reach hyper-HD and cost dramatically. The cost of OLED TVs is expected to drop to 3.5 times times the cost of a full HD LCD TV by 2017. "So OLED and liquid crystal will coexistence and compete with each other." ”

DisplaySearch analyst Wu Rongbing that the biggest problem with OLED TV panels at the moment is the low yield. "Future OLED yield, the outlook is optimistic, but before that there is a painful learning process." ”

However, Guohongshou, an associate professor of Optoelectronic systems engineering at the University of New Science and technology in Taiwan, warned that OLED and LCD still have a significant technological gap, and China's mainland panel industry should not be taken lightly.

The trend of China's catching up

Beijing Oriental Vice President Zhang Yu, November 17, during the Shenzhen High Fair, the first financial daily reporter revealed that the Beijing-Orient in Ordos 5.5 generation AMOLED line will be put into production on November 21, production capacity reached 54,000 pieces of glass substrate, full production to next year, the products include 5 inches, 6 inches, 7-inch and 10.1-inch mobile screen.

After the project was completed, the investment of 22 billion Yuan Zhang Yu believes that there will be three aspects: first, can better meet the domestic and overseas high-end mobile terminal screen demand, and secondly, will promote the wearing of technology, flexible screen research and development, at the same time, on the large size OLED TV screen research and development will be promoted.

Not only the BoE on the High Fair show its AMO LED display, huaxing Optoelectronics also in Shenzhen bright production base, showing the first domestic 31-inch AMOLED screen. This was produced on the 4.5 generation Test line of the huaxing phase, and the two phase of huaxing, which commenced on November 16, will contain part of the AMOLED screen in the future production of 30,000 oxide semiconductor glass substrates.

TCL chairman Li revealed that 2015 huaxing production of AMOLED screen is mainly used for mobile phones, because AMOLED used in large-screen TV, the cost is still high, the production process is not perfect. This does not mean that Tcl has given up on the OLED TV screen, instead, the relevant research and development is stepping up.

The other side of the domestic board enterprise Deep Tianma, also exerting force. TIANMA Microelectronics Group Research and Development Center Senior Director Zengzhang and, also in the international Display Conference said that Tianma attaches great importance to AMOLED research and development, will be developed in 2014 5.5-inch high-definition and Full HD AMOLED mobile phone screen.

Patent traps need to be prevented

Domestic panel companies actively layout OLED, LG display and Samsung between the OLED patent dispute, then to these domestic enterprises sounded the alarm.

A few days ago, South Korean media reported that Samsung stolen LG display OLED core technology by the police investigation is true. Samsung has been controlling the small OLED market, according to the South Korean police, but incap the core technology in large OLED TV production (to prevent water penetration), and attempts to steal the technology through LG Display's suppliers.

Samsung China Public relations responsible person in the media interview confirmed the above news, but said that the current only to cooperate with the investigation, belong to the legal process, not the final criminal nature.

In fact, Samsung has also told LG Display. In the first half of last year, Samsung filed a lawsuit against 11 people (including 6 former, current Samsung researcher, and 5 LG executives) in the name of the core manufacturing technology that leaked next-generation displays, one of whom has been arrested.

The leading global OLED technology of these two Korean enterprises, due to the technical level of imperfect and each other raised the sword of patent to fight, not to mention the rise of the mainland panel enterprises. In terms of technology and patents, continental panel companies are far from being able to sit back and relax.

This reporter noted that, whether it is the Zengzhiyuan of huaxing, or the Zengzhang of the deep Tianma, these active in the Chinese panel industry, the first line of the leader, are from Taiwan. Their joining, on the one hand, reflects the construction of the mainland LCD boom, on the other hand also reflects the mainland panel enterprises on the demand for technical personnel.

Taiwan Electronic Equipment Association secretary General Wang Xinyang told our correspondent, Taiwan talent to join, at least the Chinese research and development OLED panel process shortened more than half a year. Taiwan's talent has joined China's mainland panel factory, mainly because of the merger of Taiwan's panel factories, which has caused some talents to spill over, and Taiwan has halted the system of equity incentives.

And for the potential of the patent war, huaxing insiders also said that the company has developed a patent defense strategy, to patent applications, technical analysis and investigation, patent litigation as the main line, and will be tort analysis, patent invalidation, tort counterclaim as a response to patent litigation, the main content of the work.