CMO Group Targets OLED Panel at Exploding PND Market

Jun 18, 2007 20:31 Tomohiro Ootsuki, Nikkei Electronics

Chi Mei EL Corp. (CMEL) of Taiwan showcased a 4.3-inch organic light-emitting diode (OLED) panel at the "Display Taiwan 2007" show.

Sample shipments are slated for September 2007, and volume production and shipments are expected to start around December 2007. A life extends to "20,000 hours when lit at 50% luminance and 10,000 hours at 100%," a booth attendant said.

The area of PND designing and manufacturing is currently at a state of oligopoly by Taiwanese companies. The area's major companies are Inventec Appliance Corp., Quanta Computer, Inc. MiTAC Inc. of Taiwan and Garmin Corp., a Taiwanese company of Garmin International Inc. of the US.

According to Mio Technology Corp. of Taiwan that markets its own brand products under MiTAC's wing, global PND shipments are likely to reach 24 million units in 2007, double the amount shipped in 2006.

CMEL's abovementioned product is designed for sale to such local PND manufacturers. Compared to LCD panels with similar specifications, pricing is "nearly 5 times higher at the moment but will become equivalent if volume production effects increase," the attendant said.

In addition, high contrast, a major feature of OLED, is "significant all the more when applied to PNDs. Because they are highly viewable even under direct sunlight and therefore don't cause danger to drivers," the attendant explained.

LCD panels can achieve equivalent contrast ratios to those of OELD panels, but only by "depending on high-cost technologies" such as optical filter, the attendant insisted.

CMEL belongs to the same company group as Chi Mei Optoelectronics Corp. (CMO). of Taiwan. The company initiated volume production and shipments of active matrix OLED in February 2007.

In May 2007, CMEL, together with CMO, signed a cross-licensing agreement concerning OELD panel technology with Eastman Kodak Co. of the United States.

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