LG’s new OLED breakthrough can boost display lifespans

LG Display has unveiled a new OLED manufacturing method that reportedly results in panels that are brighter, longer-lasting, more efficient, and theoretically can be almost any size. This new technology is called FLiPP (FMM-Less innovative Pixel Patterning), which LG Display describes as a “dream next-generation OLED” patterning method that aims to eliminate some of the existing limitations in OLED panels.

The main advantage of FLiPP is that it doesn’t use a fine metal mask (FMM) like conventional RGB OLEDs, which is a metal plate with tiny holes used to stencil light-emitting materials for pixel patterning. This manufacturing process can be costly, and larger panels can suffer from sagging and alignment problems. Instead, FLiPP positions RGB pixels in order and then uses photolithography and UV light to remove areas that aren’t needed.

Compared to FMM panels, LG Display says that FLiPP enables OLED panels to be 1.6 times brighter and last 2.4 times longer, and reduces power consumption by 13 percent. FLiPP is also “free from panel size and resolution constraints,” according to LG Display, which means it can be used for virtually any panel requirements, including VR and AR displays.

LG Display says it will start by applying this technology to “IT applications,” such as tablets and monitors, before later expanding to cover products like ultra-large TVs and 1-inch wearable devices. There’s no word on when production will start, or when the first products will be available to buy.