A new Korean report today reveals that Samsung Display used inkjet equipment even after the existing thin film encapsulation process in the entire OLED production process of the Apple iPhone 14 Pro lineup released this year. The process was applied to avoid damage to the thin film encapsulation (which protects the OLED from moisture and oxygen). Apple’s request also played a part in the adoption of the inkjet method. All inkjet equipment required for the process was supplied by SEMES, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics.
Further, Samsung Display used additional inkjet equipment in the entire process of mass-producing organic light emitting diode (OLED) of the Pro lineup (Pro/Pro Max) in the Apple iPhone 14 series released this year.
In this year’s iPhone 14 Pro lineup, inkjet equipment was additionally used after forming thin film encapsulation and touch electrodes (Y-OCTA). This is because to make a hole (hole) for the front camera lens at the top of the OLED screen, a hole must be drilled in the post-process (module process). If the thin film encapsulation is damaged, the OLED is exposed to moisture and oxygen, and the life span of the product is drastically shortened.
For this reason, Samsung Display is known to have used inkjet equipment to build a dam that separates the hole from the rest of the area after making thin film encapsulation and touch electrodes in the iPhone 14 Pro lineup OLED, and to flatten areas with uneven heights. Samsung Display was able to carry out this process using a laser rather than inkjet equipment.
All equipment used in the process was manufactured by SEMES, a subsidiary of Samsung Electronics. Six units of inkjet equipment supplied by SEMES to Samsung Display between the end of last year and the beginning of this year were installed in the A3 line and are known to have been used for mass production of OLED for the iPhone 14 Pro lineup.
LG Display, which is mass-producing OLED for the iPhone 14 Pro Max along with Samsung Display, is known to have applied the same method. Although LG Display was late in mass-producing OLEDs for the iPhone 14 Pro Max, it was found that the panel shipments were close to the revised target.
The iPhone 14 Pro lineup consists of two types: the 6.7-inch Pro Max and the 6.1-inch Pro. Samsung Display only supplies OLED for both types and LG Display only for one type of 6.7-inch Pro Max.
