Flexible screens are a bet for the future of Samsung, which expected to begin production of these in a first time window... something that seems not to happen since it has been learned thanks to the specialized portal BGR that the beginning of these processes would be postponed to a later date (without confirming an approximate date).
The project for these screens is known as Youm, and it is one of the great novelties that Samsung hopes to offer in the future of consumer technology, including mobile devices. The key to this development is that the film base used to reproduce images changes from glass to plastic and, therefore, can be bent smoothly, is lighter, thinner, and more resistant. Therefore, a major advance that we will have to wait a while to be able to enjoy this type of screen (at least, those manufactured by Samsung). In addition, they are supported by panels AMOLED with integrated touch layer, facilitating slimmer and more energy-efficient designs.
Possible reasons for the delay
According to ETNews One of the reasons that have led the Korean company to delay the appearance of the Youm project screens is that currently the amount that it is capable of producing per month is 56.000 and it expects that next year this amount can be 64.000, which would ensure that sufficient screens could be supplied to the market and that there would be no supply problems. Added to this are performance problems in mass manufacturing typical of a disruptive technology, where small variations in the process reduce the percentage of valid panels.
It has also had something to do with good result of Galaxy S3 phone, which allows the company to take things a little more calmly and, in addition, the demand is so great that it has had to divert some manufacturing lines to this device, hence the number of flexible panels that it can currently manufacture is not what Samsung would like. Added to this context is the strong demand for the Galaxy family, as Footnotes, which increases the pressure on traditional AMOLED lines.
What is Youm and what are its technical advantages?
Name YOUM identifies a generation of screens Flexible OLED/AMOLED with a plastic substrate instead of glass. This change allows for a significant reduction in thickness: there has been talk of panels up to 60% thinner than conventional ones (going from ~1,8 mm to just over ~0,6 mm), with clear benefits in lightness y resistanceBy eliminating glass, the chances of breakage are reduced and the door is opened to curved or foldable designs, while maintaining the intense colors and high contrast typical of OLED. In addition, Samsung has worked to reduce the energy, with reduction targets of around 25% in certain iterations.
The first products: pronounced curvature before roll-up screens
Although they have been shown real demonstrations At trade shows and events, moving from the lab to production requires scaling and process control. Therefore, it is unreasonable to expect devices that roll up completely in the first waves. It is most likely to see fixed curved screens pronounced that enable new design ideas and better ergonomics. Concepts have even been explored in which the screen continues along the edge of the device to display accessible status information without removing the terminal from your pocket.
Key challenges: encapsulation and process times
One of the bottlenecks pointed out by different reports is the OLED encapsulation, a phase that protects the panel from oxygen y moistureCertain encapsulation methods add valuable minutes to the manufacturing cycle, limiting monthly volume. Company executives have even suggested that they are exploring new technologies. to reduce the encapsulation time to less than two minutes, improving process performance and consistency.
Ecosystem and competitive pressure
Samsung's push is also understood by the competition: manufacturers such as LG o Sony They have shown prototypes, and actors like Sharp or the division LG Display perfect alternatives. In parallel, they have seen folding prototypes Book-type devices that transform phones into tablets, as well as demos that run various operating systems. All of this accelerates the race for be the first to reach the market with a mature, mass-manufacturable solution.
All that remains is to be patient to see these types of components in products such as phones, laptops, televisions, and tablets. They are expected to be a more than interesting advance in terms of mobility -even by his resistance– and that it is a differentiating element for Samsung. Meanwhile, efforts in encapsulated, performance y capacity will mark when the leap from prototypes to widespread sales will become a reality.
