LG Display’s Foldable OLED, which allows displays to be freely folded and unfolded, is bringing a new wave of change to the IT device industry. In this edition, we will introduce “foldable OLED!
A screen environment that folds and unfolds freely, Foldable OLED
A foldable OLED is, as the name suggests, foldable. In other words, the display panel is easily folded and then unfolded. Why is this useful? Folding allows for split-screen use. It also reduces the size of a device, which is great for convenience and portability. This kind of display panel is multi-purpose. Depending on how it is used, the device can become a laptop, a tablet, or a monitor.
The creation of the foldable OLED was possible thanks to the characteristics of the OLED structure itself. OLEDs have a self-emissive structure without a backlight, which makes them thinner and lighter. This allows for greater design freedom, making it easier to create various form factors. *Backlight: An emitting material located behind the panel that provides artificial illumination to the screen.
The critical feature of a foldable OLED is the folding area. To minimize the ‘crease’ that forms along the fold line, LG Display applies special materials that help ensure a seamless surface. In addition, for its 360-degree foldable OLED, which can be folded both inwards and outwards, LG Display verified durability through 200,000 bi-directional folding tests conducted at room temperature. It also did over 50,000 tests in extremely hot and cold environments.
In the case of the 17-inch foldable OLED for laptops mentioned earlier, LG Display expanded the tandem OLED structure – originally used in automotive displays – for use in IT devices. With the adoption of this tandem OLED, which stacks two organic light-emitting layers, the display offers higher luminance than conventional OLEDs. It disperses the energy applied to the OLED elements, enabling more stable operation over a longer time. This makes it an ideal choice for IT devices that are used for extended periods. In addition, a highly sensitive total touch solution is embedded in the sensor panel that gives users the feeling they are writing by hand.
