Samsung Display to build new factory line for notebook OLED
Plan to produce 18 to 20-inch panels called N Project
Samsung Display is planning to build a new production line for notebook OLED at its A4 factory in Asan, TheElec has learned.
The line will have a production capacity of 30,000 substrates per month and will produce mid-sized OLED panels in the 18 to 20-inch range aimed at notebooks.
The plan is being called internally N Project __ the N stands for notebook. It has previous called notebook liquid crystal display (LCD) lines N Project as well.
Orders for the equipment to be placed at the new production line will go out in the summer and placed inside within the year at the earliest and early 2022 at the earliest.
Samsung Display is already producing notebook OLED panels so ramping up production in the new production line isn’t expected to take so long once the equipment are installed.
It has previously modified its A2 and A3 production lines to use some of them to produce notebook OLED panels. A2 mainly produces panels for smartphones and smart watches, while A3 is used to make OLED panels for Samsung Galaxy S and Note series as well as Apple’s iPhones.
Samsung Display is making a new production line to meet increased demand for IT products (notebooks in particular) from the pandemic.
Earlier this month, th South Korean display panel maker said it plans to launch over ten kinds of notebook OLED panels this year. It expects sales to grow by five times for them in 2021.
The company said this week at Samsung Electronics’ fourth quarter conference call that it plans to highlight OLED’s strengths such as thinness and narrow bezels to expand applications of them to notebooks, tablets and automotives.
A4 factory currently houses a 30,000 substrates per month capacity Gen 6 flexible OLED line. The factory was previously called L7-1 when it produced Gen 7 LCD panels. It was converted to an OLED line in 2018. The new production line will go into the remaining area at A4.
Meanwhile, Samsung Display is embroiled in lawsuits with JOLED over patents. They have filed lawsuits against each other in the US, both claiming that the other violated their patents in OLED.