이 기사는 2022년 03월 16일 07:38 thebell 에 표출된 기사입니다.

South Korea’s Samsung Display, the display panel-making arm of Samsung Group, is seeking new opportunities in quantum dot organic light-emitting diode (QD-OLED) technologies, with the firm considering various scenarios for its remaining liquid crystal displays (LCD) production line in the country.

Samsung Display started a process to close down its LCD business since 2016. It has either switched its production lines for seventh- and eighth-generation LCD panels to lines producing OLED panels in Korea and China, or sold its assets.

In 2017, the company stopped operations of its L3-L6 lines at the company's facilities in Cheonan, South Chungcheong Province, which produced small and mid-sized LCD panels. It sold all idle equipment to Chinese LCD manufacturers. The company leased the L3 and L4 lines to Samsung Electro-Mechanics and the L5 and L6 lines to Samsung Electronics.

Samsung Display switched its production lines for large-sized LCD panels to lines manufacturing small and mid-sized OLED displays since 2016.

Last year, it expedited a process to suspend operations at its remaining LCD facilities amid decreasing TV demands in the global markets due to prolonged pandemic. LCD display prices started to plummet as Chinese display manufacturers, which dominate the global LCD market, increased supplies, which impacted Samsung Display's bottom line.

Samsung Display decided to sell its Suzhou LCD plant, which had the 8.5-generation LCD technology, to China's CSOT for 1.28 trillion won ($1.03 billion) in 2020 and completed the sale last year.

Samsung Display is currently converting the L8-1 LCD production line in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, to large-sized OLED display production lines.

The company began to tear down the L8-1 line in the second half of last year and the world's first QD display production line Q1 has been set up in the space. Samsung Display started mass production of QD-OLED panels in November 2021. It plans to boost its QD-OLED production capacity to 120,000 sheets a month by investing 13.1 trillion won by 2025.

The only remaining LCD production line is L8-2 in the Asan plant. The line is expected to torn down by the end of this year at the latest. Samsung Display has decided to use the idle site to strengthen its own capabilities instead of selling it.

“There is a high possibility that a large-sized IT panel production line will be built, like the L8-1 line,” an industry source said, adding, “Many executives related to LCD development have already moved to large-sized display lines.” (Reporting by Hyun-ji Sohn)