The samsung roadmap, almost undisputed market leader in televisions, already seems to be traced.
The South Korean giant is preparing for the future by developing the QNED display technology – Quantum Nano Emitting Diode – which will undoubtedly be the successor to the QD-OLED.
QNED, a successor already found at QD-OLED?
While CES 2020 was in full swing last January, Samsung Display presented its first two prototypes of QD-OLED TVs in a very confidential atmosphere since only a handful of industrial partners were invited to the event. In charge of R&D for the various giant tiles, the Samsung subsidiary is still actively working on the development of QD-OLED.
According to Samsung’s roadmap, this hybrid technology which intends to combine the advantages of OLED and QLED should logically see its first models launched on the market by 2021. However, QD-OLED presents (currently) several major drawbacks, starting with its high production cost, its sensitivity to the burn-in phenomenon – marking of the screen, or “screen burn” – or even fairly limited yields in terms of brightness and therefore of contrast; this last point being critical since we expect from the QD-OLED a theoretically infinite contrast ratio and very deep blacks.
The Korean leader, however, has more ideas and another project in the cards. It could revert to its original plans to quickly replace the QD-OLED.
Promising technology for Samsung
In fact and according to the report published on the website Display Supply Chain, Samsung is currently working on QNED technology, acronym for Quantum Nano Emitting Diode. To put it simply, the QNED works in much the same way as the QD-OLED, with one major exception: the blue organic diodes (OLEDs) are replaced by new blue Micro LEDs, here called Nanorod LED and generating blue light from gallium nitride (GaN).
QD-OLED
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QNED
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This technology has a number of advantages for the manufacturer as well as for the users. GaN Nanorod LEDs would indeed make it possible to achieve better yields, improve the brightness of the screen and extend its lifespan, but also avoid any burn-in phenomenon associated with OLED. In addition, encapsulation in thin layers will not be necessary with the QNED structure, one less manufacturing step and therefore a reduction in production costs.
The other advantage of GaN Nanorod LEDs is that Samsung will be able to use the production tools and techniques it already has in the development of QD-OLED. Generating blue light, these LEDs will indeed always require the use of the famous Quantum Dots, quantum dots which act like a filter and make it possible to convert colors.
Pilot production from 2021?
The calendar could be very lenient for QNED, since the development of this display technology is likely to be done without too many interruptions and to fit into the QD-OLED production line. Samsung is indeed betting on pilot production for the first half of 2021.
If these prototypes win the favor of the giant, it is very likely that the QD-OLED lines will be quickly converted to QNED, especially since this technology can easily be adapted to smaller screens such as smartphones, monitors and other ; which is not the case with the QD-OLED, intended to equip only high-end televisions.
Despite everything, and even if the pilot production is successful, Samsung will have to make profitable its expensive production tool and in particular the equipment supplied by the Japanese company Canon Tokki, allowing it to produce blue OLED transmitters.
Source: Display Supply Chain
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