What They Say
As we have previously reported, Samsung Display (SDC) is using IJP to deposit the quantum dots for its QD-OLED displays and now The Elec has reported that the machines to be used in its Q1 line are from Kateeva of the USA. The paper reported that the firm lost out to Samsung’s own Semes company (Wonik IPS’ talks to buy Semes display kit business in trouble and Kateeva out, SEMES in as Samsung closes in on QD-OLED), but the performance of the Korean company’s offering did not meet SDC’s quality requirements, although they are still in use and being improved.
The blog said that Semes is blaming Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT), which is said to have helped develop the equipment, for the problems.
It also said that the order for new equipment will be via HB Solution, which is said to supply software to go with the Kateeva equipment. HB is said to be developing its own IJP equipment.
What We Think
Kateeva was a supplier of equipment for inkjet encapsulation of OLEDs by Samsung until it switched to using Semes equipment. That led to a tough time for Kateeva and lay offs.
Inkjet printing is a very long established technology (I saw a prototype printer in a lab when I started in the electronics business back in 1970). In the ’80s the technology started to enable colour printing (I turned down a possible distributorship for Sharp IJPs at the time ‘because they always blocked’ – and when I went for the demo to show that they didn’t, there were some issues with blocking!)
Despite the long history, the history of IJP to deposite patterns in display manufacture has been a long and tricky one, although the idea of printing into ‘buckets’ described by Applied Materials last year to make microLEDs is interesting. (Applied Materials Overcomes Some Challenges in MicroLED for VR). (BR)
