LG Display shows new OLED technology for a longer lifespan

LG Display presents a new manufacturing process for OLED screens. The technology dispenses with classic metal masks and instead uses photolithography. This promises brighter displays and a significantly longer service life.

New OLED production in Busan

At the IMID 2026 trade fair in Busan, LG Display presented a new production method for OLED panels. The South Korean company calls the process FLiPP, which stands for FMM-Less Innovative Pixel Patterning. The technology is intended to transform the production of screens for televisions, monitors and wearables by eliminating a key weak point in previous production. So far, so-called fine metal masks have been used in production. The fine metal masks serve as a template for vapor deposition of the red, green and blue organic materials, or RGB for short, onto the carrier glass. However, large masks tend to bend under their own weight. This leads to alignment problems and increases production costs when changing screen sizes. LG Display introduces the FLiPP process for OLED production

Like the industry magazine Flat panelsHD reports, FLiPP instead relies on a photolithography process. The RGB pixels are applied to the substrate one after the other. Then precise UV light removes the excess areas. The approach allows the Generation 8.5 carrier glass to be processed as a whole without having to laboriously cut it first.

Advantages in brightness and power

According to LG Display, the new process increases the aperture ratio of the pixels by 55 percent. The company promises measurable improvements compared to conventional production: the maximum brightness should increase by 1.6 times, power consumption will decrease by 13 percent and the lifespan of the light-emitting diodes will be extended by 2.4 times.

The values ​​are based on internal tests under identical laboratory conditions. A big advantage of FLiPP is its theoretical independence from fixed screen diagonals and resolutions. The process is suitable for small displays from one inch up to huge screens of 100 inches. But as is often the case, there are still stumbling blocks, because despite the technical advantages, there are also various challenges.

The technology is under development and continues to require large upfront investments from the manufacturers involved. In addition, the competition never sleeps. Japan Display is working on a similar concept with the eLeap process, but has so far struggled with widespread commercialization. Chinese producers like Visionox are also planning to stop using metal masks soon.

Production no earlier than 2027

In order to prepare for mass production in a timely manner, LG Display is planning extensive financial expenditure. The first finished products based on the new technology are not expected to be on the market until the end of 2027 at the earliest. The company initially wants to equip handy devices such as tablets and monitors before using the technology on large televisions and compact headsets for virtual reality.