TCL which is set to commence the production of OLED panels in China that will be significantly cheaper than those from the likes of LG, is now aiming to make its mark in the gaming monitors space with its new OLED technology.

At the Omdia Korea Display Conference, TCL’s display manufacturing arm, CSOT, delivered a keynote on the progress of inkjet-printed OLEDs, according to Flatpanels HD.

Ming-Jong Jou, Chief of the Technology Planning Center, noted that TCL CSOT is currently focused on ramping up production of medium-sized OLED displays for monitors and laptops, although the production method can also subsequently be applied to OLED TVs too.

The company is believed to be set to begin limited inkjet OLED production by the end of 2024.

 

Today, OLED panels are mostly produced in vacuum chambers through thermal evaporation (VTE), using a type of spray-painter and a metal mask.

However, inkjet-printing uses a precise inkjet printer to apply the OLED material where needed, thereby reducing waste material and potentially leading to lower production costs when implemented at scale.

TCL has previously showcased prototypes including a 65-inch 8K OLED, a 31-inch 4K dome-shaped OLED, and even a 14-inch 2.8K laptop OLED which were made using this new technology.

“TCL CSOT has achieved comprehensive breakthroughs in image quality, power consumption, and lifespan, elevating its performance to the level of mainstream display technologies,” the company announced.

It claims that its printed RGB OLED now has “lower power consumption, with materials efficiency doubled, a 50 per cent reduction in light loss due to internal reflection, and a 1.5 times improvement in light output efficiency. Lifespan has also been significantly enhanced, with an aperture ratio three times larger and material lifespan improved tenfold.”

It added that it has achieved a 20 per cent reduction in total cost and that its printing technology is ready for more flexible production that can help shorten the product development life cycle by 30 per cent.

Back in 2020, TCL CSOT partnered with Japan OLED (JOLED) to commercialise inkjet-printed OLED panels to compete with LG and Samsung. Although JOLED filed for bankruptcy in May 2023, TCL maintained its course carried on with plans to commercialise its inkjet-printed OLED displays.