Shenzhen Enrich Electronics Co.,Ltd

Or first look at the background of the industry that caused this situation. After using the phone on the phone LTPS, or Apple led the panel industry to overcome LTPS backplane technology, the phone panel was really into the high-definition display stage, thereby promoting the TV panel to 2K / 4K / 8K resolution development, And have a real OLED mobile phone panel.

Prior to this, the mobile phone panel in the panel industry is what position? Is the kind of television panel has a single TV, TV panels gone, well, do some mobile phone standard orders. Therefore, Apple did not use LTPS before, the industry for some time the phone is equipped with a standard 3.2 / 2.8 / 2.4 / 2.2 / 1.77 inch mobile phone panel.

However, LTPS has broken the original situation of the production of mobile phone panels in the industry. Since the initial LTPS and IGZO do not have the same electrical performance and the limited driving ability of the ICs, the panel enterprises have to make mobile phone customers get a more even display effect or more Good display state, will be based on customer panel size requirements to optimize its circuit design, basically broke the so-called standard boundaries, unless you use the size of the apple.

In addition, the advent of LTPS has led to the direction of large size mobile phone panel, which makes handset manufacturers in a limited size of the phone, to plug into the larger panel size, often lack of energy, so anyway, in order to optimize Open the electrical performance of the mold, not as good as the panel dimensions themselves set.

LTPS also has a feature that it uses a much thinner than the TV panel mask, so it tailor-made exposure machine, did not consider into the thicker TV panel mask version. Coupled with the generation of more than 6 generations of high-generation line over the same period of capacity outbreak, then take 6 generations of panel production line below to produce TV panels, almost uncompetitive, panel makers also tend to line in the 6th generation panel to the professional production line Mobile phone panel. As a result, the mobile phone panel finally from the supporting role of the TV panel, the official independence, not when the TV panel orders are not available, used to fill the capacity of the standby inventory role. The industry is also subtly divided into two camps: TV panel factory and mobile phone panel factory.

However, this situation from the beginning of last year, once again by the TV panel companies to break, the most important reason is due to Apple's LTPS technology and manufacturing processes. TV panel makers in order to overcome 2K \ 4K \ 8K resolution, the introduction of a large number of Apple's LTPS line design patterns, and similar Apple's screen rewriting technology into the TV driver chip inside, so that the mainstream TV panel resolution also quickly chase On the phone panel.

And TV panels to enhance the resolution, but also began to import ultra-thin mask mask, in order to better save industry resources, but also the mask mask thickness specifications and LTPS mask mask. So when LGD applied this ultra-thin process to the 8.5-generation TV panel line, but because it did not get enough TV panel orders and the production yield of TV was not satisfactory, it suddenly found that it could take the TV panel line To produce high-definition mobile phone panel orders, and the yield is not bad.

At that time LGD and Samsung are facing other competitors in the a-Si mobile phone panel imitation LTPS technology, the performance increased dramatically, while the cost is rapidly declining situation, a-Si mobile phone panel performance not only suppressed the popularity of LTPS Taking advantage of, LGD and Samsung also squeezed out from the a-Si mobile phone panel market.

So Samsung began to force LTPS OLED display on the mobile phone panel, LGD picked up the 8.5 generation TV panel line to produce a-Si mobile phone panel. Initially, Samsung OLED due to instability in production capacity and quality, did not bring too much impact on the industry, and LGD due to the contraction of the mobile phone panel business, to reopen it is still somewhat difficult. LGD did not take the initiative to take the 8.5 generation to produce the mobile phone panel after the television panel order was fully fulfilled, and LGD continued to focus on the Apple LTPS orders in the mobile phone panel business.

However, LGD take 8.5 generation TV panel line to produce a-Si mobile phone panel move, or in the industrial chain with a good head, at least the upstream equipment manufacturers put the late generation of 8.5-generation a-Si panel line, all In accordance with LTPS thin substrate and ultra-thin mask to create. Soon, BOE in mainland China mastered the technology of producing mobile phone panels using the 8.5-generation a-Si panel line, coupled with the huge glass panel thinning capacity in mainland China, and the BOE 8.5 generation a-Si panel line went smoothly Of the volume of the output of a-Si advanced mobile phone panel, so that the entire a-Si mobile phone panel market once again face the cost of cleaning the situation.

In fact, with the precision of the panel equipment and the breakthrough of the fixture material technology, the biggest difference between LTPS and the a-Si panel line may only be stuck in the size of the laser activation and annealing equipment and can not meet the 6th generation line The format needs. In addition, the production of the two products, the mobile phone panel display, it is difficult to distinguish between the performance of consumers.

Therefore, the industry generally think LTPS way out, only to the production line resolution LCD is three to four times the RGB OLED display is the right way, and can also take advantage of the OLED display to open the distance from the LCD. Of course, the industry also hopes to show the resolution is now more than four times the required VR \ AR and other virtual display market, to find a large-scale promotion of the application scenario, which really broke out, LTPS OLED display in addition, there are more Living space.

However, Apple's injection of JDC's newly built LTPS LCD production line into a joint venture, or detonated the enthusiasm of the industry to invest in LTPS LCD, not only to China's panel industry to build a number of LTPS LCD production line at the same time, and even Taiwan manufacturers have also flicker into the LTPS LCD new hegemony in the Council.

Of course, those panel investors who were really wanting to get LTPS LCD production in that year were not without thinking that Apple might abandon the LTPS LCD technology one day. However, whether for the bet Apple will continue along the LTPS LCD display technology, continue to lead the display industry trend Ye Hao; or to the back to more advanced display technology evolution, such as into the LTPS OLED display technology or ultra-clear VR \ AR \ MR virtual display Devices, accumulation of LTPS backplane production technology Ye Hao, perhaps in order to really master LTPS backplane production technology, and then upgrade the production line to produce OLED panels, these investors is the real purpose.

However, wait until these panel makers really want to transition to the production of OLED panels, we know that not every LTPS backplane line, can be like Samsung, easy to upgrade the device to produce OLED panels. Just as LTPS is still limited to size limits below 6th generation line, limitations on OLED panels are far greater than the LTPS LCD in terms of vapor deposition equipment, materials and process levels, in addition to the LTPS backplane dimensions.

So, after repeated reincarnations, the display market has returned to a weird situation, the ordinary a-Si mobile phone display panel once again returned to the production of TV panels, and perhaps face TV panel orders, a -Si phone screen no one orders, TV panel orders are not enough, we put the a-Si cell phone display used to charge capacity situation.

The LTPS has become a niche technology to campaign OLED display, if the same as the original LTPS get a lot of use on the phone, then became the role of the LTPS LCD display, a high-end smart phones become the main display technology . If the market for a long time is still only a Samsung Samsung grasp, will face Sharp IGZO situation, will always become a niche, or fought in the notebook and desktop applications such as indoor market.

As for the next generation of a-Si panel lines, and even high-definition a-Si panel lines for high-resolution TV panels, the remaining market space has only a bite to miss the commercial and specialty markets, and this part of the market now The same is also facing increasing cost pressures situation, coupled with we all know that the show went to consumer trends show close to the market can also be left to low-resolution a-Si panel line how much time to breathe, in fact Doubtful.

Therefore, in the above environment, 2017 panel industry is like jumping God, experienced OLED epilepsy, LTPS plague, a-Si crazy year.