Korean media: LG Innotek has supplied OLED FMM to LG Display

On April 20, according to ETnews, the FMM (high-precision metal mask) independently developed by LG Innotek for mobile OLED has recently been supplied to LG Display. Currently, LG Display is using these FMMs to mass-produce OLEDs.

An insider said: "The two companies have been cooperating to develop FMM technology for many years. Recently, we have finally seen the results of our efforts by supplying FMM to OLED mass production lines. Although the initial supply is small, the scale of introduction will be gradually expanded in the future based on production performance and other conditions."

It is reported that this batch of FMM has been partially invested in Yongin's sixth-generation OLED production line for smartphones and IT equipment.

FMM is the core precision mold and consumable parts in the OLED panel evaporation process. Its function is to help OLED organic materials be deposited through the micropores to form display pixels. Its core raw material is Invar alloy (Invar) with extremely low thermal expansion coefficient. Manufacturing faces extremely high technical barriers. Hole opening accuracy must reach the micron level (such as within ±2.5 μm). After large-scale production, it must overcome challenges such as deformation caused by gravity and thermal stress, and has strict requirements on material uniformity.

Previously, South Korea’s domestic display industry has always relied on FMM imports from Japan, among which Japanese materials giant Dainippon Printing Co., Ltd. (DNP) has the absolute say in this field.

Reports indicate that LG Innotek will begin developing FMM technology around 2021. At that time, South Korea began to promote localized production in order to reduce its dependence on DNP FMM. Although many companies are working on developing FMM technology through government-funded projects, it is reported that the only companies with mass production-level capabilities currently are LG Innotek and Fengyuan Precision.

Through cooperation with Samsung Display, Fengyuan Precision has entered the approval stage for FMM mass production and is expected to begin full mass production as early as the second half of this year. Given that LG Innotek's FMM has been used in LG Display's OLED mass production, the latter has diversified its supply chain ahead of schedule.

LG Display aims to further enhance the competitiveness of small and medium-sized OLEDs through FMM supply chain diversification. Adopting local FMM can not only ensure price competitiveness, but also ensure the stability of the FMM supply chain. It is worth mentioning that synergy effects are expected to be maximized through collaboration among LG Group subsidiaries.