Company in talks with Canon Tokki to develop equipment
BOE is planning to build a Gen 8.6 (2250x2600mm) IT OLED panel production line at its B16 factory in the city of Chengdu in Sichuan Province, China, TheElec has learned.
The Chinese display panel giant is planning to have the line have a production capacity of 15,000 substrates per month and start production near the end of 2024, sources said.
Like its South Korean rivals Samsung Display and LG Display, BOE is planning to build the line in preparation to supply OLED panels to Apple for applications in IT products such as iPad tablets and MacBook notebooks.
Using a Gen 8 (called either Gen 8.5 or Gen 8.6 depending on the vendor) glass substrate is more advantageous economically for companies in manufacturing these panels compared to Gen 6 (1500x1850mm).
For instance, for a 13.3-inch panel, a Gen 6 substrate can provide 48 units while a Gen 8.5 substrate can provide 96 units.
Samsung Display and LG Display will be using Gen 6 production lines to produce their first OLED panels aimed at iPads __ Apple is expected to introduce one in 2024. But the pair are planning to use Gen 8.5 production lines for OLED panels Cupertino will use for IT products after its first OLED iPad debuts.
BOE is planning to use half-cut and horizontal deposition method for its Gen 8.6 OLED panels.
The methods are used for Gen 6 OLED panels too and LG Display is also planning to do the same for its Gen 8.5 OLED panels.
On the other hand, Samsung Display is developing full-cut and vertical deposition methods but is also planning to develop half-cut and horizontal deposition methods as well and see which approach will be optimal.
BOE was currently in talks with Japan’s Canon Tokki, the world’s largest deposition equipment maker, to develop deposition equipment for Gen 8.6 half cut.
However, the Chinese display giant is yet to request a slot for Canon Tokki to start development.
Meanwhile, BOE is also testing two-stack tandem OLED technology at its existing production lines.
Two-stack tandem OLED panels have two emission layers, unlike the single-stack tandem structure currently used in smartphone OLED panels.
Having two emission layers can increase the brightness of panels and extend their life span, which makes them optimal for use in tablets and PCs that are conventionally used longer than smartphones.
