Cambridge (UK), 31 July 2017 – FlexEnable, the leader in the development and industrialization of organic electronics for flexible displays and sensors, has signed a technology transfer and license agreement with Truly Semiconductors, one of the leading display makers in China. The deal aims to bring FlexEnable’s flexible organic liquid crystal display (OLCD) technology into mass production on Truly’s lines within 2018.
Due to its high performance and low cost manufacturing process, OLCD is the only display technology today that can deliver flexible displays with large area, low cost and high brightness with long lifetime. With a bend radius that can go below 20 millimeters, OLCD meets the market needs for a range of applications across consumer electronics, smart home appliances, automotive, digital signage and beyond.
OLCD is based upon FlexEnable’s flexible low temperature organic thin-film transistor (OTFT) backplane technology, which can be manufactured on existing TFT LCD production lines using low cost plastic substrates such as TAC and PET. The OTFT backplane has better electrical performance than amorphous silicon, giving plastic LCDs the same display quality and reliability as glass-based LCDs, while making it thinner, lighter, shatterproof and conformable to surfaces.
Truly, the first display manufacturer to adopt OLCD, will implement the process into its existing production lines in Shanwei, China. The first product samples will be available to commercial partners in early 2018, with volume production expected in late 2018.
Chuck Milligan, CEO of FlexEnable, says, “Truly is a leader in displays manufacturing and a top-level supplier of displays to key market segments to which FlexEnable’s technology can bring great commercial advantages. We are already working with brands who use OLCD in their product concepts and who now need access to a volume supply chain to realize some very exciting new product offerings with designs that simply aren’t possible with other types of display. We are excited that Truly has become the first display manufacturer to implement FlexEnable’s game-changing OLCD platform and meet market demand for flexible displays.”
KK Ho, General Manager, R&D center, Truly Semiconductors Ltd, says, ”FlexEnable's OLCD technology is a breakthrough in the TFT-LCD industry and with its characteristics of thinness, lightweight, and more durability it is going to create lots of possibilities for innovative product design. We have been receiving many enquiries for flexible display from the market, specifically, wearable devices, smart home appliances, electric cars and self-driving cars etc. This is a pretty exciting display technology and we do believe there is a considerable potential market size.”
Chuck Milligan, CEO of FlexEnable (left) and Dr James Wong, Chief Operation Officer (COO) and Group Executive Director of Truly (right)
About FlexEnable
FlexEnable has pioneered the world’s first flexible electronics technology platform that allows electronics made of organic materials to be manufactured on flexible plastic film, the thickness of a sheet of paper. Compatible with existing manufacturing lines, it is the key to truly flexible and cost effective electronics over large and small surfaces. The core applications of this technology are glass-free, flexible displays and sensors that enable game-changing products across a variety of industries including consumer electronics, automotive, digital signage, wearables, medical and security. FlexEnable’s customers include OEMs, component manufacturers and materials suppliers. The company offers a comprehensive range of services-based packages for its technology platform including: ProductEnable™, MaterialsEnable™ and FabEnable™.
About Truly
Truly Semiconductors is a high-tech company focusing on the development, manufacture and sale of high quality displays. It's a China leading supplier with over 26 years history of display manufacturing. Truly is also the world only display manufacturer with full range of display technologies, including: mono displays, TFT displays (transflective, transmissive and reflective TFT), OLED, flexible OLED, etc. Depending on its world leading technology and stable product quality, Truly displays have been widely applied on smart phones, automotive, industrial and wearable displays. Therefore, Truly wins appreciation and respects from customers from various applications.