Samsung Display purchased 42 patents in the US related to oxide thin-film transistors (TFT) from Fujifilm last month, TheElec has learned.
The South Korean panel currently uses oxide TFT on its Gen 8 quantum dot (QD)-OLED panels.
Samsung Display may use the technology again for Gen 8 OLED panels aimed at IT products in the future as well.
Low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) and low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) technologies currently used for Gen 6 OLED panels have not been developed for application for Gen 8 OLED panels as of yet.
Back in May, Samsung Display bought 85 US patents related to OLED devices from Germany’s Cynora.
The South Korean company’s latest move is likely done to shore up its technologies related to oxide TFT.
The company’s current OLED business is highly concentrated on Gen 6 OLED panels aimed at smartphones.
Its competence in oxide TFT for larger OLED panels has been considered a weak point.
By comparison, rival LG Display has been using oxide TFT for large panels aimed at TVs and monitors __ its white-OLED panels __ for close to ten years now, while Samsung Display just started making larger OLED panels last year.
Samsung Display is yet to secure rights of family patents related to the ones in the US it bought from Fujifilm but these will likely be done in the coming months.
Meanwhile, the South Korean display panel maker had warned Apple and some of its Chinese rivals earlier this year that it will defend its patents related to OLED.
