Abstract

Korea Shows Desire to Become the Global Display Panel Industry Leader

Korean researchers presented 118 papers at the SID 2007 Symposium, among which PDP technology was the most common topic (18.6%), followed by backlight technology (10.2%), AM-OLED (7.6%), flexible display (5.1%), wide viewing angle technology (5.1%) and OLED materials (4.2%). 3D displays and electronic paper were also covered in a number of Korean presentations. Samsung and LPL displayed 55 and 34 products respectively covering a wide variety of sizes, specifications, and application fields. Japanese researchers meanwhile presented 93 papers and Japanese panel manufacturers used their US subsidiaries for exhibited products; Taiwanese researchers presented 77 papers and Taiwanese manufacturers mainly exhibited small- and medium-sized panel products. Overall, the enthusiastic participation of Korean universities, research institutes and companies, and the depth and breadth of Korean technologies and products on display makes it clear that Korea hopes to become the world's leader in the flat panel display industry.

Japanese and Korean Manufacturers Enter the Large-sized Digital Signage Field

Sharp and Samsung exhibited 12 different digital signage panel products at SID 2007, indicating that the two panel giants are trying to make use of the new generation of TFT-LCD production lines and are focusing on applications of 40-inch or larger panels outside the LCD TV market.

Backlight Technology Helps Improve Image Quality and is Attracting Large R&D Investments

There were 50 papers at SID 2007(10.3% of the total) related to backlight technology, which revealed that research in this field is focused on improving image quality of LCD TVs, particularly on increasing contrast and color saturation and decreasing motion blur. Of the 50 papers related to backlight technology, 16 (32.0%) were presented by representatives of Japanese, Korean, or Taiwanese panel manufacturers, indicating that manufacturers from these countries, particularly those involved in LCD TV panel manufacturing, will continue their involvement in LCD TV related backlight technology.

E-Paper Technology Is Developing Rapidly

E-paper related research presented at this year's SID Symposium centered on colorization and flexible substrate technology. Colorization has already progressed to 4,096 colors, and is expected to move towards 65,536 colors by next year. Aside from MEMS technology, other flexible substrate e-paper display technologies being developed include electrophoretic display, cholesteric LCD, liquid power display, and STN-LCD. E-paper manufacturers are also trying to develop niche markets  - price labels, digital photo frames, smart cards, ID cards, information boards, e-books, and USB memory sticks - to take advantage of e-paper's two big features: reflective display and image memory. E-paper manufacturers are also focusing on these niche markets to differentiate themselves from competition in the primary display technology application markets. Only when e-paper has passed from the market introduction stage to the market growth stage will system and product makers feel comfortable using e-paper displays as part of their product design process.