[Edaily Reporter JAEMIN SONG ] LG Display is set to target the IT OLED market with “FLiPP,” a next-generation patterning technology that allows the company to utilize its existing 8th-generation infrastructure, rather than making new investments in a separate 8.6th-generation organic light-emitting diode (OLED) production line. The strategy is to open up the IT OLED market—which has yet to fully take off due to high prices and other factors—through technological innovation leveraging existing assets, rather than large-scale new investments.

Choi Young-seok, Chief Technology Officer (CTO) of LG Display, stated at the “FLiPP Online Tech Seminar” held on the 8th, “We still believe the IT OLED market has not yet matured,” adding, “Rather than entering the market after it has fully developed, we are determined to pioneer the IT OLED market by solving problems through FLiPP.”

FLiPP is LG Display’s next-generation patterning technology that eliminates the conventional fine metal mask (FMM) from the OLED pixel formation process. An FMM is a type of “template” in which a metal plate with microscopic holes is placed over a substrate to deposit red, green, and blue (RGB) organic materials in the desired locations; however, it has limitations, such as the mask sagging as panel sizes increase. FLiPP is a method that forms RGB pixels directly without this template.

LG Display plans to first apply FLiPP to IT products such as laptops and monitors. The technology is currently in the development stage, and the specific timeline for mass production will be determined through discussions with clients.

In particular, FLiPP is expected to become a new option in LG Display’s IT OLED investment strategy. This is because, unlike competitors who are building new 8.6-generation production lines in preparation for the expansion of the IT OLED market, LG Display can utilize a significant portion of its existing 8-generation production infrastructure.

CTO Choi stated, “By adopting FLiPP, we can produce products regardless of product line or size while fully utilizing our existing infrastructure,” adding, “We can achieve significant results with relatively lower costs compared to investing in new 8.6-generation lines.” During the actual mass production process, the company plans to enhance investment efficiency by categorizing existing equipment into those to be used as-is, those requiring modification, and those to be newly introduced.

Production efficiency can also be improved. The existing 8th-generation FMM process requires “half-cut”—cutting the substrate in half due to issues such as mask sagging—but FLiPP feeds the substrate in without cutting it. Based on a 23.5-inch panel, yield efficiency increases from approximately 75% with the FMM method to over 93%, and organic material efficiency improves from 40% to 74%. Deposition process time is reduced by approximately 40 percent.

Eliminating the FMM itself also creates room for cost savings. Kim Eung-yong, a director at LG Display, explained, “Considering FMM costs and defect-related expenses, producing a single model costs tens of billions of won,” adding that the technology can reduce mask production and management costs as well as chronic defects caused by FMM sagging. However, the company did not disclose the specific reduction rate in panel manufacturing costs. Cho Heung-ryeol, Senior Vice President at LG Display, said, “I don’t want to promote FLiPP as a cost-saving technology,” but added, “It definitely has a cost advantage over FMM.”

However, LG Display does not plan to immediately switch its existing OLED production methods to FLiPP. For the time being, the company plans to use FMM, White OLED (WOLED), and FLiPP in parallel, depending on the competitiveness of each product. Smartphones will also continue to be produced using the existing FMM method. CTO Choi stated, “We plan to focus on the IT sector first,” adding, “Since we are producing smartphones successfully with our existing equipment, we plan to continue using FMM for the time being.” However, he explained that FLiPP’s resolution could technically reach up to 1,000 PPI (pixels per inch).

In the medium to long term, the company plans to expand the scope of application. LG Display believes FLiPP can be used to produce everything from 1-inch-class wearables to TVs larger than 100 inches. CTO Choi said, “In the coming years, OLED patterning technologies such as FMM, OMM, and FLiPP will coexist, and we will go through a process of determining which technology is most competitive for which applications,” adding, “FLiPP is competitive because it can be applied to a wide range of applications.”