LG Display puts the eLEAP process into full-scale operation

LG Display has begun applying the next-generation manufacturing technology eLEAP to its existing 8generation OLED production line. It is accelerating the buildout of mass-production systems by moving ahead with equipment orders and technology adoption.

The decision comes as Chinese panel makers pour 14billion-won into OLED investment. Intensifying competition in the industry is cited as the background for the move.

LG Display has already finalized a substantial portion of the related equipment supply. The company plans to apply the process by combining this equipment with its existing facilities.

eLEAP is a so-called FMM-free process that uses exposure instead of the fine metal mask (FMM) traditionally used for pixel formation. The FMM method is a process in which organic materials are deposited through a fine metal mask.

Separately, Samsung Display 8.6has chosen a strategy of investing trillions of won in a new OLED production line for the next-generation IT market to improve production efficiency. The two companies are responding to the market with different approaches.

LG Display has stated that, instead of building a new factory worth trillions of won, it will manage risk by combining existing facilities with new processes. 1In its quarterly earnings conference call, the company mentioned uncertainty in the external environment and demand volatility.

The industry views these moves as groundwork for securing the upper hand in the IT and large OLED markets. LG Display plans to disclose the timing of establishing mass-production operations and whether equipment is running through future filings.