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​Merck and Visionox Sign MOU to Accelerate OLED Development
November 12, 2018
 
Merck KGaA announced during the China International Import Expo that it has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Shenzhen-listed Visionox Technology Inc. to combine the forces of the two companies to accelerate the development and application of OLEDs in China. Merck offers a complete portfolio of premium livilux materials for OLED displays and lighting devices, which include materials for vapor deposition processes on glass or flexible substrates, as well as OLED inks for IJP. The company has introduced into China many of its cutting-edge technologies, such as Display Solutions in liquid crystal and OLED as well as innovative materials for semiconductor industry. Along with Merck’s accelerated investment in China in recent years, continuous investment has been placed in the Performance Materials segment, which is always a key driver of the company’s growth in the country. Over the past five years, an accumulated 44 million euros (US$49.9 million) has been invested into the Performance Materials Hub in Shanghai. 

In 2013, Merck Liquid Crystal Center China, which integrates liquid crystal mixture production, integrated supply chain, application development, sales and marketing, was opened in the city. In 2016, the company’s Liquid Crystal Application Lab was upgraded and expanded to the Display Materials R&D Center China. One year later, Merck relocated the Technology Application Network China for Surface Solutions to a new site within the hub with expanded capabilities. In June of this year, a brand-new OLED Technology Center China was inaugurated, offering a range of state-of-the-art equipment and clean room facilities to enable OLED device fabrication and characterization.
With display solutions being one of its biggest areas of expertise, Merck holds a unique perspective that OLED and liquid crystal display, or LCD, will co-exist in a foreseeable decade with the former focusing more on medium and small-sized screens and the latter more advantageous in larger screens.  The specifics of the MOU were not described, but Visionox does have a development agreement with UDC for the use of phosphorescent material.