SEOUL (Reuters) - South Korean display screen maker Samsung SDI Co 006400.KS said on Thursday it had developed a 31-inch ultra-thin organic screen, raising the stakes in an accelerating worldwide race for organic displays.

People walk in front of Samsung Group's main office in Seoul August 6, 2007. South Korean display screen maker Samsung SDI Co said on Thursday it had developed a 31-inch ultra-thin organic screen, raising the stakes in an accelerating worldwide race for organic displays. REUTERS/Lee Jae-Won

Samsung SDI's announcement comes after Sony Corp 6758.T began sales of 11-inch OLED TVs in November. The Japanese company has showcased a 27-inch prototype OLED TV in the past.

Flat screen makers are increasingly looking at active-matrix organic light-emitting diode (AM-OLED) as a growth driver because they produce brighter images and use less power.

Samsung SDI officials declined to say when the company’s 31-inch OLED screen would be mass-produced, saying the decision depended on TV set makers’ plans.

But they said Samsung Electronics 005930.KS, the world's largest maker of liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs, would showcase a 31-inch prototype TV set at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in early January.

Samsung SDI is also planning to mass-produce 14-inch screens in 2008, Yoo Eui-jin, head of Samsung SDI’s AM-OLED team, said at a press conference introducing the display.

Although Yoo declined to name the companies that would use the AM-OLED screens, he said a number of companies had expressed interest.

Samsung SDI said its 31-inch module is only 4.3 mm thick, or one-tenth of a typical liquid crystal display panel, and consumed less than half the electricity needed for a 32-inch LCD screen.

Samsung SDI also said the lifespan of its display was 35,000 hours, the best performance among existing AM-OLEDs.

While small AM-OLED displays are already in use on premium mobile phones and media players, large-sized models are particularly difficult and costly to make. Shipments of Sony’s 11-inch OLED TVs have been limited to 2,000 units per month.

Earlier this month, Japan's Toshiba Corp 6502.T said it had shelved plans to sell AM-OLED TVs in 2009-10 because of the cost of mass production.