Sony and Panasonic to bring down cost of large scale OLED development with joint venture

29 June 2012

Sony and Panasonic will join forces to develop large scale OLED panels and modules in an effort to bring down the cost of development and utilise printing based manufacturing techniques.

The companies say they could have mass-production technology in place as early as 2013 and will also work to develop next generation OLED materials.

Sony launched an 11" OLED TV panel in 2007 and a 25" OLED monitor in 2011. Sony’s research and development activities has explored next-generation OLED technologies such as hybrid OLED element devices and processing (manufacturing) technologies that combine deposition and printing methods, thin film transistor (TFT) drivers such as oxide TFTs, and flexible organic TFTs.

Panasonic has developed large-sized screen, high-resolution OLED panels and utilises the "all printing method", among other printing methods. The company owns the production and equipment technologies which enable production of OLED panels through this method. Panasonic is also pursuing the future possibility of OLED panels, and is carrying out research and development of advancements in flexible OLED panels and aiming to develop large-sized, high quality sheet-type displays.