Visionox Advances OLED Industry with 8th Gen Development Using e-lip Method

Chinese company Visionox is driving IT investments in the development of the 8th generation OLED through vertical deposition. Visionox plans to utilize the "e-lip" method for the development of 8th generation OLED technology in the IT sector. This method involves depositing OLED using a semiconductor exposure process instead of the Fine Metal Mask (FMM) used in existing small and medium-sized OLEDs. Industry experts suggest that Visionox's emphasis on e-lip being a new technology is a strategy to attract local government investments. By being the first to test the e-lip method in the 6th generation pilot line, Visionox aims to address the industry's curiosity regarding the possibility of e-lip mass production.

On the 2nd, industry insiders revealed that Visionox has devised a plan to develop the 8th generation Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED) technology for IT products using the vertical deposition method. Visionox has chosen the "eLEAP" method, which involves depositing red (R), green (G), and blue (B) OLED subpixels in adjacent positions within the same layer using a semiconductor exposure process. The e-lip technology, which employs semiconductor exposure for OLED deposition, is also known as e-lip technology, or e-Lip, named by Japan Display Inc. (JDI).

Visionox refers to its electronic lip technology as "ViP" (Visionox Intelligent Pixelization Technology). According to Visionox, ViP technology enables pixel density of 1700 pixels per inch (PPI) or higher, a four-fold increase in brightness, and a six-fold improvement in product lifespan. Currently, high-end smartphones have a pixel density of around 500-600 PPI.

One notable feature of Visionox's e-lip method, including ViP, is the absence of Fine Metal Masks (FMM), which are a core component for forming RGB subpixels in existing small and medium-sized OLEDs. In the 6th generation OLED, the substrate is cut in half and deposited after the Thin-Film Transistor (TFT) process due to the occasional sagging of the FMM's center caused by gravity.

Samsung Display previously developed 8th generation IT OLED technology using the vertical deposition method with FMM. However, the development plan was put on hold as Japan's Ulvac, which was developing the evaporator at the time, actually abandoned the project.

Visionox plans to establish a pilot line for e-lip in the 6th generation V3 line. The company intends to purchase a used 6th generation vertical deposition machine and conduct testing on the pilot line. If successful, Visionox will proceed with the development of the 8th generation vertical deposition.

Regarding the composition of the 8th generation OLED line for IT applications, Visionox has received a response from Japan's evaporator company, Canon Tokki, stating that the evaporator is expected to be launched around 2027.

Industry insiders suggest that to promote the adoption of IT-grade 8th generation OLED through vertical deposition, Visionox needs to highlight its status as a new technology and attract investments from local governments. A solution has been proposed.