What They Say
The Nanosys Display Show on YouTube, hosted by Brian Berkeley, spoke to Samsung about the QD-OLED technology that Samsung Display, Dell and Sony showed at CES 2022. Chirag Shah of Samsung and Berkeley spoke for just under an hour. Topics covered included:
- Why blue for the OLED layer and what about lifetime – Shah said that there are multiple blue layers (3 in the diagram) and optimised material with pixel level compensation of the signal. Data about sticking and lifetime will be shared after more tests.
- On pixel structures, Shah seemed to take several minutes to explain that the blue layers are planar and under each sub-pixel.
- Berkeley then explained the issues came up against when Samsung tried to make large RGB OLEDs a decade ago and how WOLED solved some of the issues along with some of the disadvantages of WOLED.
- He then covered the basic priniciples of making the QD-OLED including the inkjet printing
- Shah explained the narrower FWHM spectrum of the QD-OLED vs WOLED which uses broader spectrum yellow OLED materials as well as blue. He then covered colour volume and colour light output (CLO) and claimed >90% BT.2020 coverage. It included the use of Gamut rings.and a discussion of that and the IDMS standard. There are some nice graphics at about 25 minutes.
- There was some discussion of low grey levels in comparison to the ‘crushing’ of low levels in WOLED.
- The next topic was the wider viewing angle of QD-OLED in terms of colour and luminance as it doesn’t have the microcavities that WOLED uses to improve on axis brightness.
- Monitors should benefit from the colour, luminance and response time.
- The blue has been optimised to reduce potentially damaging blue frequencies
- Berkeley then explained what he saw when he got a preview of the QD OLED before the holidays and his personal view of the differences between QD-OLED, WOLED and mini-LED LCD (see graphic below)
- At 10%, QD OLED is brighter than WOLED, after Berkeley’s measurement (although he didn’t reveal the number)
- Shah said that products should be available by the end of Q1, but that depends on the brands and he has ‘absolutely no clue’ how it will be priced, but will be premium.
- Samsung has had a lot of feedback from set makers that larger sizes than 65″ would be desirable and you can expect news ‘soon’.
What We Think
This was a good summary of the benefits of QD-OLED, but added nothing although it seemed to kill the rumour that there is a green layer in the OLED stack as well as blue. However, it didn’t add anything really that we haven’t reported. So that might save you 45 minutes! (BR)
