Worldwide OLED display revenue in Q3 2008 was $141m, down 11% quarter on quarter, but up 60% year on year, according to market research firm DisplaySearch.
Chi Mei EL, the number two supplier of active matrix OLED (AMOLED) displays, said DisplaySearch, posted record high shipments in Q3, while the leading AMOLED supplier Samsung experienced lower shipments quarter on quarter. "As a result, AMOLED shipments increased only slightly compared to Q2'08, reaching 1.7 million units," said DisplaySearch.
After a strong Q2, passive matrix OLED (PMOLED) shipments were affected by reductions in mobile phone sub-display orders, so shipments fell 22% quarter on quarter. However, most of the shipment reduction was in monochrome PMOLED, while area colour and full colour PMOLED gained popularity. This led to an increase in average selling price for OLEDs in Q3'08.
"OLED displays have very attractive performance: wide viewing angle, wide colour gamut at all gray scales, fast response time, low power consumption, are thin and light weight, and have a wide operating temperature. Lifetime has improved dramatically in recent years, and red and green lifetimes are long enough for many consumer electronic applications. Despite this, OLEDs still face strong price competition from LCDs," said DisplaySearch director Dr Jennifer Colegrove.
"The OLED display industry is changing rapidly, with new companies entering the business, existing companies expanding capacity or exiting the market, and other companies changing their application focus," added Dr. Colegrove.
See also: Electronics Weekly's roundup of content related to LEDs, with a special focus on both white LEDs and coloured LEDs:
LED technology - White LEDs
LED technology - Coloured LEDs
LED technology - LEDs general
LED technology - LEDs Lighting