Mass production is about to begin by the end of the year, TCL CSOT printing OLED technology reaches milestone

Printed OLED is a new display production technology that accurately prints organic light-emitting materials onto OLED displays through inkjet printing technology. Compared with traditional evaporated OLED technology, this technology has many advantages such as high production efficiency, high contrast, excellent color performance, and wide application. As a world-renowned panel company, TCL CSOT is in a leading position in printed OLED technology and is about to take the lead in achieving the latest breakthrough in the field of printed OLED.

On October 15, 2024, TCL CSOT held a themed media exchange meeting on printed OLED technology at its Wuhan manufacturing base. The meeting focused on TCL Huaxing's research and development progress, product applications and future development directions in the field of printed OLED technology. Dr. Cao Weiran, Director of TCL CSOT's Printing OLED Center, and experts from the R&D team answered questions from the media in detail on site, and shared TCL CSOT's latest achievements and challenges in the field of printed OLED.
Dr. Cao Weiran, Director of TCL CSOT Printing OLED Center

The first printed OLED product will be used in medical displays

Dr. Cao Weiran revealed that TCL CSOT's first printed OLED product has entered the trial production stage and is expected to achieve mass production before the end of 2024. This product will be used in medical display equipment, such as ultrasound machines and CT equipment. This choice not only meets the current production capacity requirements of printed OLED technology, but also lays the foundation for the gradual expansion of the application of the technology.

Cao Weiran explained that the medical display screen was chosen as the first product mainly due to its high requirements for resolution and relatively small output, which facilitated TCL CSOT's refined management during the trial production stage. This has laid the foundation for TCL Huaxing to accumulate experience and further promote the application of printed OLED in larger-scale consumer products.
TCL Huaxing Printed OLED Production Line

Technical advantages and challenges of printed OLED

Printed OLED technology is considered a cutting-edge technology in the display industry and has certain advantages compared with traditional evaporated OLED technology. Cao Weiran pointed out that one of the core advantages of printed OLED technology is that its process does not require a large vacuum environment, which means that the high cost of investment in vacuum equipment can be avoided. In addition, the material utilization rate of printed OLED is higher, reaching more than 90%. In comparison, the material utilization rate of the evaporation process is only about 30%. This efficient use of materials means that printed OLEDs have great potential for cost control.

However, printing OLED technology also faces some challenges. Cao Weiran mentioned that the TCL Huaxing team is still developing how to replace part of the evaporation process with printing technology to achieve a true full printing process. In addition, yield rate is also one of the main challenges of current technology. TCL Huaxing is accumulating relevant data through trial production of its 5.5-generation production line and gradually improving yield rate.
TCL Huaxing Printed OLED Production Line

The application prospects of printed OLED in the medium-sized field

During the exchange, Cao Weiran emphasized the huge potential of printed OLED technology in medium-sized applications, especially in devices such as laptops, tablets, and monitors. Compared with large-size applications such as TVs, medium-size display devices have higher requirements for resolution, thin and light design, and power consumption, and printed OLED technology can meet these needs.

Especially in mobile devices, reducing energy consumption is a key challenge. TCL CSOT's R&D team is improving battery life through material upgrades and algorithm optimization. In addition, frame design and device thinness and lightness are also key directions for future technology iterations. Cao Weiran pointed out that while printing OLED can achieve high brightness and low power consumption, it can also effectively control blue light output, which meets the current consumer demand for eye protection and low blue light screens.

Therefore, future mass production plans for printed OLED technology will first focus on the medium-sized display field. Cao Weiran said that although printed OLED technology is relatively easy to expand to large-generation production lines, TCL Huaxing still hopes to first mature the technology to ensure the yield and cost advantages of the production line. On this basis, TCL Huaxing will gradually expand its application scope to include monitors, notebook computers and other IT equipment.
TCL CSOT Printed OLED Production Line

Global Competition and Technological Innovation of Printed OLED

In the competition in the global display industry, TCL CSOT, Samsung, LG and other companies are each promoting different OLED technology solutions. Samsung's QD-OLED and LG's WOLED have achieved mass production in the large-size display and TV markets. TCL Huaxing's strategic development is to start from the medium-sized field and seize the market through printed OLED technology.

Cao Weiran pointed out that from a technical analysis, the advantage of TCL Huaxing's printed OLED technology lies in its regularly arranged RGB pixel structure. Compared with the diamond or zigzag structure of traditional OLED technology, TCL Huaxing's display effect is better in terms of color reproduction and image quality. In addition, printed OLED can maintain good color consistency at low gray levels, further improving display performance.

Looking to the future, TCL Huaxing does not intend to replace existing OLED technology, but hopes to provide diversified product choices under different market demands through technological innovation. Cao Weiran said that TCL Huaxing's goal is to become a comprehensive solution provider that can meet the needs of various display products. Whether it is medium or large size, whether it is evaporated OLED technology or printed OLED technology, TCL Huaxing will have the corresponding technical reserves and production capabilities.

Conclusion

With the continuous development of printed OLED technology, TCL CSOT is expected to secure its leading position in the future display industry. Through continuous technological innovation and market expansion, printed OLED is expected to quickly become popular in the field of medium-sized displays and gradually expand to other application scenarios. Against the background of increasingly fierce competition in the global display industry, TCL CSOT's printed OLED technology not only represents the future trend of display technology, but also injects new vitality into the technological innovation of China's display industry.