LG Display developed the world's first stretchable display that can be freely extended, folded and twisted.
LG Display recently held a 'Stretchable National Project Phase 1 Achievement Sharing Meeting'. It introduced a 12-inch full-color stretchable display that exhibits high resolution while increasing the screen by up to 20%.
Stretchable displays are called the ultimate free-form display because it is able to freely transform into any shape, including stretching, folding, and twisting.
LG Display’s prototype is the world's first △12-inch screen to stretch up to 14-inch (20% extension) while △simultaneously maintaining the high resolution (100ppi) comparable to general monitors and △full red/green/blue (RGB) colors.
It has overcome technical difficulties for commercialization by improving core stretchable display technologies in flexibility, durability, and reliability.
A special silicone material used for contact lenses has been developed to significantly increase flexibility by developing a film-type substrate with remarkable elasticity. LG Display has developed a durable structure to prevent image quality change even from external impact by using a micro LED light source of less than 40 micrometers (μm, 1 millionth of a meter).
Despite being repeatedly bent or folded through design optimization, such as deforming the display into an S-shaped structure from being a flat shape, the display maintains standard performance. Stretchable displays are not only thin and light, but also can be adhered to irregularly curved surfaces such as skin, clothing, and furniture. The displays are expected to be widely applied to various industries such as wearables, mobility, smart devices, gaming, and fashion in the future.
The stretchable display is evaluated as a display that will bring innovative changes in daily life in the era of IT devices that are worn like clothes or attached to the body. Information for safety and rapid response can be provided in real time by applying a stretchable display to the special suits for firefighters and paramedics during a crisis. The screen can be made in the form of braille that can be used for the visually impaired can utilize conveniently.
LG Display was selected as the host company for the 2020 'Stretchable Display Development for Electronic Devices and Smart Devices’. LG Display is conducting Joint R&D with 20 domestic industry-university-research institutes.
When the national project is completed, LG Display plans to further enhance the level of completion of stretchable display equipment and material technology by 2024.
Soo-young Yoon, CTO of LG Display (CTO/ vice president) said, "We will successfully complete the stretchable national project. This will raise the competitiveness of Korean display technology to the next level, and lead a new paradigm of display."
By Staff Reporter So-ra Park (srpark@etnews.com)