AU Optronics (AUO) plans on basing its OLED development using a-Si technology, and the company estimates it will enter into mass production in 2011.

CT Liu, vice-president and general manager of consumer product display business group of AUO indicated that AUO is going to start developing OLED again in the fourth quarter of this year and concentrate on commercializing small-sized panels.

Liu mentioned that OLED panels have a higher contract ratio, lower power consumption and are much thinner compared to the thin film transistor (TFT) LCD panels. And as OLED technology matured, costs will drop below than of TFT. AUO will also focus its development on efficient OLED manufacturing processes. Liu explained that a-Si technology is more suited for OLED panel making because a-Si has better yield rates and more stable circuits compare to LTPS technology.

Although Liu noted that the panel maker has made several breakthroughs concerning materials and equipment recently, AUO estimates that it will take at least three years for the technology to be mature enough for mass production. Hence AUO plans to mass product small- to medium-size OLED panel in 2011, and then larger-sized panels in another 3-5 years.

In related news, the Chi Mei Optoelectronics (CMO) OLED subsidiary Chi Mei EL (CMEL) estimates that its second vapor deposition line will go online early in 2009 and the company plans to use its 5G or 5.5G low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) panel production to produce large-size OLED panels. CMEL noted that it will start mass producing 7.6-inch OLED panels in the second half of this year.