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The following information is true and accurate at the time of publication.
June 12, 2003
Sony to start mass production of
mobile Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) Display next
Spring Sony's original full-color "Super Top Emission™*"
panel structure enables higher picture quality and thinner
panel
Tokyo, Japan- Sony Corporation
today announced the start of mass production of "Super Top
EmissionTM" Active-matrix
Full-color Organic Light Emitting Diode(OLED) Display panels
from Spring 2004. Production will be initially for the supply
of display panels for mobile devices, and Sony will make
a capital investment of approximately 9 billion yen to establish
an OLED mass production line in ST-LCD Corporation (ST-LCD)**.
*Super Top EmissionTM: Sony's
original panel structure enabling higher quality color reproduction
by multiple interference effect.
OLED is a self-luminous display without backlight. Sony
started the development of OLED in the early 90's and demonstrated
a 13" display as thin as 1.4mm in February 2001 and
a 24" display which consisted of four integrated 12"individual
panels in January 2003. Sony's original active matrix OLED
is made of small-molecule organic luminescent materials,
and Sony has adopted "Super Top EmissionTM" and
an all solid-state device structure to achieve the advantages
of high quality color reproduction, high contrast ratio,
quick response and thin panel, all of which OLED boasts.
In order to establish mass production of OLED effectively,
Sony will apply the expertise of ST-LCD such as design and
manufacturing technology and procurement of TFT substrates
for OLED. ST-LCD has acquired this expertise through the
mass production of Low temperature poly-Si TFT LCD(L-LCD).
The initial production will aim to supply panels with high
picture quality for Sony mobile products and production
capacity will start from 300,000 (at 2.0 inches) for the
first stage.
Video applications for mobile products such as digital still
cameras and mobile phones are set to expand, and OLED has
been drawing attention as a next-generation key device to
enable smaller and lighter mobile products with video functions.
Sony will continue its efforts to improve the technology
and enhance product development of OLED, aiming to offer
a diverse product line-up in conjunction with current L-LCD.
Outline of Capital Investment (for OLED production facility)
Amount of investment:Approximately 9 billion yen(provisional)
Location of investment :inside ST-LCD production facility
Commencement of operations:Spring 2004 (provisional)
Production capacity:Approximately 300,000 panels/month
(at 2.0 inches)
Targeted Product:Display panels for Sony mobile products
**ST-LCD Corporation: a joint venture company
established by Sony Corporation and Toyota Industries Corporation
producing L-LCD.
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