The details are somewhat vague, but Ewing, NJ-based Universal Display on Monday increased its ties to LG Display, one of the biggest makers of electronic displays in the world, with new agreements for materials and patent licensing.
Universal Display develops technology and materials for the creation of organic LEDs (OLEDs), which are used for lighting and to make screens for electronic devices. With the new agreements, which run through 2022, LG Display is licensing certain patents from Universal Display for the production of OLED screens. LG Display will also be supplied with phosphorescent materials per the deal.
Janice Mahon, vice president of technology commercialization with Universal Display, would not specify which patents were being licensed. The two companies already have history working together, she says, but the new agreements deepen their relationship particularly in technology development. “It’s an indication of commitment of the companies to one another and to the potential for the OLED industry,” she says.
The agreements were signed amid a slowly moving race to establish a dominant technology for future electronic displays. It is no secret that LG Electronics, which owns part of LG Display, has embraced OLEDs for its high-end televisions while rival Samsung pursues other technology to make next generation TVs.
There will be more communication between Universal Display and LG Display at a strategic level, Mahon says, and perhaps some additional research collaborations. “There may be more products or technologies developed for LGD,” she says.
Seoul, Korea-based LG Display is an independent company that got its start as a joint venture between LG Electronics and Philips—but is still tied to the LG family. Earlier this month at International CES, ultra HD televisions made with OLEDs produced by LG Display were seen on the show floor.
