[ THE INVESTOR ] Samsung Display, the display-making unit of Samsung Electronics that dominates more than 95 percent of organic light-emitting diode panels for smartphones, will be seeking to further widen its gap with rivals by speeding up the production of the larger seventh-generation OLED panels, a top analyst said on April 19.





Samsung Galaxy S8





"Its smaller rivals will be catching up with Samsung in production volume of sixth-generation OLED panels in the coming years. Samsung is likely to turn its eyes to the larger seventh-generation OLED panels for better productivity,” Yi Choong-hoon, CEO of local display research firm UBI Research, said in a recent report.



The analyst pointed out Samsung’s new A4 production line that will start production as early as in the second quarter next year is likely to be equipped to produce the seventh-generation OLED panels.



The issue is, the analyst said, securing necessary equipment such as LTPS-FTF, or low temperature polycrystalline silicon-thin film transistor, and FMM, or fine metal mask, based deposition system, because equipment manufacturers are focusing on those for the sixth-generation panels.



“Samsung Display did operate production lines for the eighth-generation OLED panels for TVs. So it could recycle LTPS-FTF it used at the time,” he said, predicting no serious problem in setting up the new facilities.



“Samsung Display has continued research to diversify its OLED portfolio to include foldable OLED, chip-on-plastic OLED and 800ppi high-resolution OLED. With the possible production of seventh-generation panels, it would continue to maintain its dominant market position for years.”



By Lee Ji-yoon (jylee@heraldcorp.com)