LG Display's FLiPP OLED Tech to Reach Laptops and Monitors First, Production Eyed for 2027

FLiPP stands for FMM-Less innovative Pixel Patterning. The FMM refers to fine metal masks, which are normally used in OLED manufacturing to precisely place organic emissive materials. With FLiPP, there is no mask. Instead, the materials are deposited across the glass, given a protective layer, and then refined using photolithography and etching to remove unwanted sections.

The biggest single advantage is efficiency. According to trade site The Elec, LG Display found that FLiPP increased the utilization rate, or the efficiency of production, from 75 percent in a conventional FMM process to more than 93 percent in a FLiPP process. More efficient production means lower production costs, which could ultimately mean better OLEDs without higher prices.

FLiPP also improved utilization of the organic emissive materials from 40 percent to 74 percent, boosted the pixel aperture ratio, which is how much of the pixel area emits light, to 65 percent, and enabled the light-emitting area to boost luminance by 1.6 times, longevity by 2.4 times, or reduce power consumption by 13 percent. Depending on the device's needs, these OLED screens could be brighter, more reliable, or use less power.

LG Display Chief Technology Officer Choi Young-seok said the technology is still in its first development stage. The next stage would be developing actual products, and the third stage is mass production. That third stage will initially concentrate on the monitor market, where displays are smaller. The improved efficiency figures mentioned above were for 23.5-inch panels, but laptops are apparently on the cards as well. LG Display has said it expects to reach this point by late 2027, so the first products might appear at CES 2028.

According to Cho Heung-ryeol, head of the Next-Generation Display Division, LG Display is currently evaluating its existing LCD and WOLED production lines to see if they can be reused without major modifications, or if new plant would need to be purchased. The former option is preferred. Either way, LG Display still plans for production to start in around a year.

For those who want more detail on the technical side of FLiPP and how it compares with other OLED manufacturing processes, The Elec has published a transcript of LG Display's online seminar.

Editor's Summary

LG Display's FLiPP technology replaces fine metal masks with photolithography and etching, aiming to cut OLED production costs while improving efficiency. The company expects to start production for monitors and laptops around late 2027, with TVs likely several years away.