In a new supply chain report this morning we learn that LG Display has begun developing a new etching technology to apply to Apple IT products. It is estimated that the goal is to proceed with the cutting process in cell units while etching the lower plate of the glass substrate. Since the hybrid OLED panel itself is thinner than the existing rigid OLED, production efficiency can be increased by performing etching and cell unit cutting processes together.

According to The Elec, LG Display has recently started developing new etching technology to apply to Apple's 'Hybrid Organic Light-Emitting Diode (OLED)' with the LG Electronics Production Technology Institute.

Hybrid OLED refers to a technology that combines a lower glass substrate used in rigid OLED and a thin film encapsulation (TFE) mainly used in flexible OLED. 

It is estimated that the goal of the etching technology that LG Display has recently started developing is to simultaneously carry out the cutting process in units of cells while etching the lower plate of the glass substrate. Existing rigid OLEDs had a lower glass substrate and an upper glass substrate for encapsulation, but hybrid OLEDs are thinner and more difficult to handle as the upper glass substrate was replaced with a thin encapsulation. Since the hybrid OLED does not have a glass substrate top plate, the panel may break during the process of etching the 0.5T (mm) thick glass substrate bottom plate into a 0.2T thick 'Ultra Thin (UT) substrate' and then moving it for the next process.

In order to prevent this, LG Display is expected to develop a technology in which a cell-by-cell cutting process proceeds simultaneously in the process of etching the lower plate of the glass substrate. The direction of etching technology for hybrid OLED, which LG Display started to develop with LG Electronics Production Technology Institute, is expected to materialize around June.

However, the etching technology that LG Display has begun to develop is planned to be applied starting with the 8th generation OLED line for IT that will be built in the future.

The iPad OLED, which is currently being developed by LG Display in the 6th generation line with the goal of launching next year, uses the existing method of separately proceeding with the cell unit cutting process after etching the lower plate of the glass substrate.

The etching required here is performed by Avatech. Avatech's hybrid OLED etching for iPad applies the same method as the etching used for existing liquid crystal displays (LCDs).

On the other hand, Samsung Display applies new etching technology starting with iPad OLED, which is currently being developed in the 6th generation line. The etching process is performed by Chemtronics. A new etching method is also expected to be applied to Samsung Display's 8th generation line, which is expected to start mass production around 2026.

The iPad OLED, which Apple is developing with LG Display and Samsung Display with the aim of launching next year, has a 'Two Stack Tandem' structure OLED with two light emitting layers, and a low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) thin film transistor to reduce power consumption. (TFT), etc. are applied. LG Display has applied a two-stack tandem structure to automotive OLED, and Samsung Display has been stably producing LTPO OLED for iPhone.