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LG Display Ready Mass Production at Gen 5 Lighting Fab
September 18, 2017
 
LG Display is expected to begin full-scale production at its G1 OLED lighting fab in October, which is ahead of the January 2018 expected start date.  The fab, which will start with a phase 1 capability of 15,000 sheets, is said to be capable of producing 90,000 sheets/month if fully built out, However, LG does not expect more than 30,000 sheet/month capacity by the end of 2020.  The theoretical unyielded capacity is 1.8m 4” x 4” OLED lighting panels/month or 21.6m per year at phase 1.  We note this is a theoretical number, assuming no lost time during production and 100% yield.  They expect between 12% and 17.5% less modules per sheet and an initial yield of 70%, which would give a run rate of just over 1m units per month and just over 12m/year at the onset.
 
OLED lighting development kits, including 2 4”x4” lighting panels, a frame and driver/power supply for are available for $142 from LG or a similar package from OLEDWorks for $199, and while those are sample prices, LG Display expects the price of a 4” x 4” panel to drop below $10 once the new fab is in full production, which would represent a considerable decline in price from the $200 - $350 25W OLED fixtures that are offered in the lighting world today.  Of course, much of this depends on LGD’s ability to raise yields and keep the factory running at high utilization levels, which will likely not be the case at the onset, but regardless, this is a big step for the OLED lighting industry, which is expected to grow from $60m in 2017 to $1.9b in 2021 and $5.8b in 2025, according to LG Display.