Universal Display Corporation
| Company type | Public |
|---|---|
| Industry | Organic light-emitting diode (OLED) technology and materials |
| Founded | 1994 |
| Headquarters | Ewing, New Jersey , United States |
Area served | Global |
| Products | OLED technologies and materials for display and lighting sectors |
Universal Display Corporation specializes in developing and producing organic light emitting diode (OLED) technologies and materials, catering to both the display and lighting sectors.
Established in 1994, the corporation holds or licenses more than 6,500 patents globally, covering issued and pending rights related to commercial phosphorescent OLEDs as well as flexible, transparent, and stacked OLED configurations for various display and lighting uses. Its phosphorescent OLED innovations are licensed and supplied to industry leaders including Samsung, LG, AU Optronics, CMEL, Pioneer, Panasonic Idemitsu OLED lighting, and Konica Minolta.
UDC maintains partnerships with companies such as Sony, DuPont, and Novaled. In 2009, the company asserted that nearly all AMOLED displays available commercially incorporate its technology. Headquartered in Ewing, New Jersey, UDC also operates offices in Ireland, South Korea, Hong Kong, Japan, and Taiwan. It collaborates with academic institutions like Princeton University, the University of Southern California, the University of Michigan, along with corporate entities such as PPG Industries.
Although UDC’s patent portfolio has faced legal challenges, its intellectual property rights have been upheld as legitimate.
Products utilizing UDC technology
Apple started integrating OLED panels into its watch devices in 2015 and introduced an OLED touchbar on the MacBook Pro in 2016. The 2017 release of the iPhone X featured an enhanced OLED display licensed from Universal Display Corporation; every iPhone model since then has employed OLED screens. Apple has also expanded the use of OLED technology to its iPad lineup and has announced plans to incorporate it into future MacBook models.
According to The Korea Times, Google's wearable display device Google Glass is expected to include OLED microdisplays manufactured by Samsung Display under license from Universal Display.
Sony revealed its third generation Heads Up Micro-Displays (HMD) utilizing OLED panels sourced through UDC.
Smartphones
Universal Display’s OLED technology is prominently featured in Samsung’s Galaxy S series smartphones, including models S, S II, S III, S IV, and S5.
The Galaxy S4 is equipped with a 4.99-inch Full-HD (1920x1080 resolution at 441 PPI) Super AMOLED screen safeguarded by Corning Gorilla Glass 3.
Samsung Display Corporation (SDC) incorporated UDC’s green PHOLED materials (both host and emitter) into the Galaxy S4’s 5-inch Full-HD Super AMOLED panel, resulting in up to a 25% improvement in power efficiency.
Additional smartphones employing OLED displays include Nokia’s Lumia 1020 and BlackBerry’s Q10 and Z30 devices.
In October 2013, Samsung introduced the Galaxy Round—the first smartphone featuring a vertically curved display measuring 5.7 inches with a 1080p resolution. It debuted the "Roll Effect," which shows essential information like time or battery status when the device is rolled while the screen is off. Analysts highlight that OLED screens provide greater flexibility compared to traditional LCDs.
Initially, the Galaxy Round was made available exclusively in South Korea.
Continuing Samsung's commitment to OLED technology, the Galaxy S5 launched in February 2014 also sports a 5-inch Super AMOLED display.
Smartwatches
Samsung unveiled the Galaxy Gear smartwatch in September 2013, equipped with a 1.6-inch OLED display alongside various applications designed for Android smartphone connectivity. It was released in the United States in October 2013 at a price of $299, featuring a 1.63-inch Super AMOLED screen with a resolution of 320x320 pixels (275 PPI).
The LG G Watch R offers a circular design coupled with an OLED screen, while LG’s upscale "Urbane" edition is priced at $590.
OLED displays are anticipated to command a dominant position in the smartwatch market with an estimated share of 58%. Starting with its 2015 watch series, Apple adopted OLED panels and continues to utilize them across subsequent models.
Tablets
Panasonic introduced a 20-inch tablet equipped with a 4K (3840×2160) printed OLED screen.
Samsung launched two Galaxy Tablet models featuring OLED panels: the Galaxy Tab S 10.5, which includes a 10.5-inch WQXGA Super AMOLED display (2560x1600 pixels, 287 ppi) operating on Android 4.4.2 KitKat, and the Galaxy Tab S 8.4, sporting an 8.4-inch Full HD Super AMOLED display (2560x1600 pixels, 359 ppi).
Televisions
At CES 2012, Samsung and LG Display introduced 55-inch OLED TVs but postponed their large-scale production. AUO, Sony, and Epson announced plans to begin manufacturing AMOLED televisions starting in 2014.
In June 2013, Samsung released a curved 55-inch OLED HDTV in South Korea with a price tag near $13,500, highlighting enhanced viewing experiences due to its curved form factor. By August 2013, Samsung reduced the price by 30%, attributing this to improved production efficiency.
During IFA 2013, Samsung revealed a massive 98-inch 4K AMOLED television. At the same event, LG presented a curved 77-inch 4K WRGB OLED panel. By October 2014, LG reported that its OLED TV shipments had increased twentyfold since the previous year.
In September 2014, CNET lauded LG’s 55EC9300 OLED TV as delivering "The best. Picture. Ever." praising its combination of benefits from both LED and Plasma technologies without their typical limitations.
Despite the growing popularity of Quantum Dot LCDs, LG remained committed to OLED technology as the future of television displays, prioritizing OLED advancements over quantum dot backlighting solutions.
In January 2015, LG Display entered into a long-term partnership with Universal Display Corporation (UDC) for supplying OLED materials and patented emitters, strengthening its position as a leader in OLED TV innovation.
By 2017, LG introduced five new OLED TV models, including an ultra-thin flagship model measuring only 0.9mm in thickness.
Technological advantages of OLED
The distinctive fabrication process of OLEDs offers multiple benefits compared to conventional LCD flat panel displays.
- Cost reduction potential
- OLEDs can be printed on various substrates via inkjet or screen printing techniques, which may eventually lower costs below those of LCD or plasma panels. Currently, however, manufacturing substrates for OLEDs remains more expensive than TFT LCD production until mass-production scalability improves. Roll-to-roll vapor deposition techniques allow for high-volume manufacturing—thousands of units per minute at minimal expense—though aligning multiple device layers continues to be complex.
- Lightweight and flexible substrates
- OLED technology supports production on bendable plastics such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), enabling innovative applications like rollable displays integrated into textiles or apparel. This flexibility also contributes to reduced production costs.
- Enhanced viewing angles and brightness
- Since each OLED pixel emits its own light, these displays achieve superior contrast ratios and wider viewing angles compared to LCDs. Color fidelity is maintained even when viewed at nearly 90 degrees off-axis.
- Improved power efficiency and slimmer profiles
- Unlike LCDs that rely on backlight filtering, inactive OLED pixels emit no light or draw power, allowing true black levels and energy savings. Eliminating the need for backlighting reduces both weight and potentially manufacturing expenses; however, OLEDs remain niche products pending broader adoption. Top-emitting OLED designs utilize optimized index matching layer thicknesses (1.3–2.5 nm) to boost emission intensity.
- Rapid response times
- OLEDs can reach response times below 0.01 ms—significantly faster than LCD ranges of 1–16 ms—enabling refresh rates up to 100,000 Hz. This capability supports flicker display modes akin to CRTs that minimize motion blur.
Drawbacks include:
- Energy consumption
- When displaying predominantly black images, OLED panels consume approximately 40% of the energy used by LCDs; however, for most content they use between 60% and 80%. White backgrounds cause substantially higher power usage—over three times that of LCDs—negatively affecting battery longevity in portable devices.
Samsung Display incorporates varied subpixel matrix arrangements within its Super AMOLED smartphone screens; for example, the Galaxy S4 and S5 utilize the Diamond Pixel Matrix design.
Flexible displays
The use of OLED technology facilitates the creation of curved and bendable screens. Samsung plans to produce its flexible AMOLED panels on plastic substrates made from Polyimide, which can endure elevated temperatures ranging from 350 to 400°C. Early iterations will showcase "curved" displays rather than fully flexible ones, encased within rigid glass shells. Compared to glass-based OLEDs, plastic AMOLEDs offer advantages such as increased resistance to shattering, reduced weight, and slimmer profiles.
Samsung is currently assessing Universal Display Corporation’s (UDC) UniversalBarrier single-layer encapsulation technology for application in flexible plastic displays. UDC utilizes a 6-inch research and development deposition system to apply this protective layer. Corning Glass has engineered flexible glass solutions aimed at accelerating the adoption of bendable OLEDs; its Lotus Glass platform provides essential thermal stability and dimensional consistency necessary for AU Optronics' AMOLED panel fabrication. Additionally, Corning is advancing Roll to Roll manufacturing techniques to drive down production expenses for flexible displays.
Market analyses forecast a swift expansion in flexible OLED display shipments: UBI Research expects volumes to surge from 20 million units in 2012 to 150 million in 2013, with revenues projected at $6.3 billion by 2017—substantially exceeding Markets&Markets’ $3.2 billion estimate for the entire flexible display sector. iSuppli anticipates the market value climbing from $21 million in 2013 to nearly $12 billion by 2020, forecasting transformative shifts in flat panel displays. Both LG and Samsung predict that by 2018, flexible displays will represent up to 40% of smartphone screen production.
The Flexible Display Center, collaborating with Army Research Labs, developed the largest flexible color AMOLED prototype globally—a 7.4-inch device employing advanced mixed oxide thin film transistors (TFTs). This achievement aligns with U.S. Department of Defense objectives for durable, lightweight, and bendable displays capable of full-motion video playback.
Sid Rosenblatt from Universal Display highlights the manufacturing challenges associated with flexible plastic substrates, particularly their porosity and vulnerability to oxygen and moisture degradation. He points out that initial flexible OLED products may target niche premium markets due to encapsulation difficulties and temperature limitations that necessitate deposition on glass before transferring onto plastic.
At the Flextech Conference, Plastic Logic and Novaled showcased a fully organic, genuinely bendable AMOLED display produced through low-temperature industrial processes, indicating promising prospects for cost-effective large-scale manufacturing. Indro Mukerjee, CEO of Plastic Logic, forecasted 2014 as a pivotal year for wearable devices propelled by advancements in flexible electronics and plastic AMOLED technology—ushering in a novel era for consumer electronics.
OLEDs in lighting
OLED technology provides energy-efficient lighting solutions operating at low temperatures. OSRAM regards OLEDs as the forthcoming evolution in automotive illumination, offering "entirely new possibilities for light and luminaire design." Future automotive models are expected to incorporate both LED and OLED lighting components. In 2011, OSRAM committed €50 million (approximately $70 million) toward establishing an OLED lighting manufacturing facility in Regensburg, Germany, dedicated to production and application research.
The German government launched a €34 million ($44 million) initiative named OLYMP ("Organic Light-emitting sYstems based on energy and cost-efficient Materials and Processes") aimed at improving OLED lighting efficiency and durability.
Philips anticipated significant market penetration of OLED lighting by 2014. Dietmar Thomas, Philips' OLED communications manager, emphasized enhancements in performance: their GL350 Gen-2 panel produces 200 lumens with an efficacy of 45 lm/W, while the forthcoming Gen-3 version is expected to deliver 300 lumens at 60 lm/W efficiency.
Industry experts note that OLEDs' inherent flexibility, transparency, and slim form factor enable innovative lighting designs. With lifespans surpassing 50,000 hours and efficiencies reaching up to 150 lm/W—outperforming halogen lamps—OLED lighting contributes to lower CO2 emissions and energy consumption while avoiding hazardous materials. This positions OLED technology as a transformative force for lighting applications and artistic installations alike.
Patent disputes
In 2012, UDC achieved positive outcomes in two patent cases. The Japanese patent authority confirmed the validity of two patents (JP781 and JP158) associated with UDC's L2MX technology, while the Korean patent office affirmed one of the OVJP patents. Although certain analysts anticipated that the EPO Board of Appeal might revoke Universal Display's patents in November 2013, Andrew Uekwitz from Oppenheimer supported the company's stance, emphasizing that recent criticisms did not present any new data beyond what UDC had already disclosed in its quarterly reports.