UK chemicals specialist SmartKem, the market leader in the design and supply of materials for the manufacture of high performance organic thin film transistors (OTFTs) for the production of low power, lightweight and unbreakable electronic displays, is pleased to announce that it has signed a Letter of Intent (LOI) with one of China’s leading OLED manufacturers.
The partnership will enable the development and industrialisation of OTFT Liquid Crystal Displays (LCD) leading to the development of OTFT based LCD and OLED display manufacture on plastic.
The SmartKem OTFT platform consists of a series of revolutionary solution coat TFT stack materials including its market leading organic semiconductor that offers unprecedented transistor performance, unbeatable electrical stability and a proven drive capability for both LCD and OLED display formats.
SmartKem has recently successfully completed the development of OTFT design rules and a process of record for the production of OTFT on an industrial grade Gen 2.5 production line in Asia. The LOI is intended as the first step in a joint commitment by SmartKem and the Chinese manufacturer of optoelectronic solutions, TFT-LCD and AMOLED displays, to fully commercialise OTFT production.
Steve Kelly, CEO of SmartKem, commented: “We are delighted to report this partnership which creates the opportunity to scale up, industrialise and drive wide scale adoption of OTFT technology for a new generation of low power, lightweight and unbreakable display-based products. We are leading the market in this technology space and excited about the potential for the mobile display market to move forward with a solution to a number of key consumer issues, namely broken displays and battery life.
“Our partner’s reputation as an innovator is second-to-none and aligns closely with our own ethos of value-driven technology advancement. Their customer network is unparalleled, with many household names, including Microsoft, Sony, Samsung, Ford and BMW, using their technology today.
“This partnership puts our technology into production at the heart of the largest hub of display manufacture in the world and shows willingness of leading players to devote significant resources towards the pursuit of OTFT adoption.”
