OLED (Organic Light Emitting Diode) display manufacturers like TPO sees great potential in growth of the technology. While the main market for AMOLED (Active Matrix OLED) displays will most likely be in mobile phone sub-displays and MP3 players, these advanced displays are also expected to find new applications ¡V for example, in the automotive and medical equipment industries. Display Search also estimates that OLED shipments will grow to approximately 23.3 million in 2006, up from 17.7 million in 2004. It also estimates that global sales are expected to hit $5.12 billion by 2009.
Since OLED displays are self-luminous ¡V they glow when an electrical field is applied to the electrodes coating a glass or polymer substrate ¡V they do not require backlighting, diffusers or polarizers, and therefore make highly efficient, lightweight and potentially inexpensive displays.
TPO ¡V one of the industry's major TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor-Liquid Crystal Display) manufacturers through its founding partner, Toppoly¡V has already set up an OLED line, successfully demonstrated AMOLED displays, and is now gearing up for mass production of this next generation display technology. Commercial production is expected to begin after the second half of 2006.