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Apple under-display IR and selfie camera design with OTI Lumionics solution

A Turning Point for Under-Display Camera Commercialization: A Close-Up Analysis of Apple’s 2026 Strategy (iPhone 18: IR Camera, Foldable: Selfie Camera… OTI Solutions Are Key)

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Apple plans to apply under-display camera technology differently depending on the device type in its next-generation iPhone lineup, slated for release in 2026. According to industry sources, the iPhone 18 series will feature an under-display infrared (IR) camera, while the foldable iPhone, scheduled for release at the same time, will feature an under-display selfie camera. This is not a simple design change; it is a strategic decision that takes into account the structural characteristics and user experience of each device.

Bar-type iPhones require a polarizer to suppress external light reflection and improve outdoor readability. However, polarizers absorb both visible and infrared light, significantly reducing transmittance. This structural limitation could directly lead to poor image quality and consumer dissatisfaction if the front-facing selfie camera is placed under the display. In contrast, IR cameras only require a 940nm near-infrared wavelength, and their goal is not high-quality photos, but accurate security authentication. Therefore, the iPhone 18 series will incorporate an under-display IR camera to simultaneously implement a full-screen design and Face ID security features. This is the most reasonable approach, minimizing image quality concerns while enhancing design perfection.

The foldable iPhone is a different story. To ensure thickness and flexibility, the device adopts a structure that eliminates the polarizer, replacing it with a color correction film and phase compensation material. This relatively increases display transmittance, facilitating the application of an under-display selfie camera. While camera performance degradation remains, this can be sufficiently addressed through AI-based image correction technology and ISP improvements. Samsung Electronics has already incorporated an under-display camera into the Galaxy Z Fold series, and Apple plans to leverage the same structural advantages to incorporate an under-display selfie camera into its foldable iPhone.

A key technology in this process is the Cathode Patterning Material (CPM) from Canada’s OTI Lumionics. This technology prevents the deposition of metal cathodes in specific areas during the OLED manufacturing process, forming a transparent opening. This technology facilitates the stable operation of the under-display camera and IR sensor. This solution, which maintains screen quality while ensuring the transmittance required by the camera and sensor, has already been verified by major global panel manufacturers, and Apple plans to incorporate it into the iPhone 18 series and foldable iPhone.

(a) Under-display camera, (b) Under-display IR camera structure – Source: OTI Lumionics

(a) UDC and (b) UDIR using a patterned cathode (Source: OTI Lumionics)

UBI Research Executive Vice President Changwook Han emphasized, “Apple’s choice to use an under-display IR camera in the bar type and an under-display selfie camera in the foldable is the result of choosing an optimized solution for each product structure,” and “2026 will be a turning point when Apple commercializes under-display technology in earnest.”

Changwook Han, Executive Vice President/Analyst at UBI Research (cwhan@ubiresearch.com)

▶2025 OLED Component and Materials Report

Apple iPhone Fold to feature 24MP under-display camera (UDC) for full-screen design

Apple to bring 24-megapixel UDC to iPhone Fold… Enhancing technological sophistication

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Diagram of under-panel camera (UPC) and pixel structure (Source: Samsung Display Newsroom)

Structure and pixel layout of the under-panel camera (UPC) (Source: Samsung Display Newsroom)

Apple could include a 24-megapixel under-display camera (UDC) in next year’s iPhone Fold, enabling a fully all-screen design without a dynamic island or notch, according to a JPMorgan report. Such a design innovation is highly anticipated by consumers and will be an important indicator of how quickly the expensive UDC technology will proliferate in the premium smartphone market.

Samsung introduced the world’s first UDC in the Galaxy Z Fold 3 in 2021 and kept the 4-megapixel camera on the inside screen until the Z Fold 6. However, consumer satisfaction was not high due to poor image quality and lack of cost-effectiveness, and China’s BOE filed two UDC patent infringement lawsuits against Samsung Display in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Texas in May and July. In the end, Samsung put the UDC on hold for its latest Galaxy Z Fold 7 and kept the punch-hole method, a strategic choice that industry observers believe was based on legal and technical risks.

   Apple combined high transmittance new materials, high pixel sensors, and AI-based image restoration technology to achieve a full all-screen form factor with high-resolution photography and Touch ID. This process will inevitably raise costs due to complex panel processes, lower yields, and increased chipset computational resources, but the idea is to differentiate itself through a “full-screen experience.

 UDC technology is a key factor in realizing full screen, which allows for an aesthetic appearance by not placing cameras on top of the display. However, as light passes through multiple display layers, diffraction, scattering, and attenuation occur, resulting in noise, blurring, flaring, and poor transmittance, leading to practical problems such as poor photo quality and failed face recognition.

To solve these problems, Samsung Display is using AI-based image restoration technology to correct noise from the camera under the display and improve face recognition accuracy, and is currently verifying its performance in real-world environments, announcing a related paper at SID 2025.

At SID 2025, TCL China Star Optoelectronics (CSOT) announced the design of a 4K Real RGB OLED medium-sized panel with Camera Under Panel (CUP) technology. By relocating the pixel circuitry to a bezel section outside the camera area, the CUP technology achieves 85.8% camera aperture, 13.8% transmittance at 550nm, and 1:1 luminance uniformity between CUP and normal pixels. In the future, the company plans to apply colorless PI substrates and COE structures to increase the transmittance to over 22% and reduce reflectance.

As UDC technology becomes more mature through software and hardware design optimization, it is expected to spread from foldable phones to medium-sized displays such as tablets and laptops, beyond mobile. The era of the “invisible camera” for a full-screen experience is just around the corner.

Changho Noh,  Senior Analyst at UBI Research  (chnoh@ubiresearch.com)

▶2025 OLED Component and Materials Report

LG Display Hybrid Phosphorescent Blue Tandem Product Verification and Patent Application

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LG Display announced on May 1 that it had successfully verified the performance of a blue phosphorescent OLED panel for mass production for the first time in the world. Following the development of blue phosphorescence in collaboration with UDC last year, this achievement was made in just 8 months, and it is evaluated as one step closer to realizing the ‘dream OLED’.

LG Display solved this problem with a hybrid two-stack tandem structure that stacks blue fluorescent material on the lower layer and blue phosphorescence on the upper layer. By adding the stability of the fluorescent method and the low power of the phosphorescent method, it maintained the stability of the existing OLED panel while reducing power consumption by about 15%.

In particular, LG Display is the first company to have successfully completed the productization stage, which requires performance evaluation, optical characteristics, and fairness on an actual mass production line, and has already completed product verification with UDC.

(Source: LG Display)

(Source: LG Display)

LG Display has exclusively applied for a hybrid phosphorescent blue tandem technology patent in both Korea and the United States. According to LG Display’s published patent, the hybrid phosphorescent blue tandem is shown to achieve efficiency that is about 1.7 times higher than the existing fluorescent blue tandem. In order to optimize efficiency, color coordinates, and lifespan, the spectral shape of the blue phosphorescent dopant, the thickness ratio of the fluorescent layer and the phosphorescent layer, and the location of the emitting layer are important, and the patent rights the technology content centered on these factors. It is evaluated as a patent that optimizes the commercialization of the hybrid phosphorescent blue tandem by utilizing high-efficiency phosphorescence and long-life fluorescence.

LG Display’s OLED panel with hybrid two-stack tandem applied can be seen at the world’s largest display event, ‘SID (Society for Information Display) 2025’, held in San Jose, California, USA from the 11th of this month (local time). The products on display this time are small and medium-sized panels that can be applied to IT devices such as smartphones and tablets. As the number of products that require both high image quality and high efficiency, such as AI PCs and AR/VR devices, is increasing, the application of blue phosphorescence technology is expected to expand rapidly.

Yoon Soo-young, CTO (Executive Vice President) of LG Display, said, “The success of the verification of blue phosphorescence productization, which is called the last puzzle for the dream OLED, will be an innovative milestone toward next-generation OLED,” and “We expect to be able to enjoy the effect of preempting the future market with blue phosphorescence technology.”

Chang Wook HAN, VP/Analyst, UBI Research(cwhan@ubiresearch.com)

2023 OLED KOREA Conference “OLED, a premium electronic product lineup and micro display, a promising future industry”

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OLED KOREA, hosted by UBI Research, a market research company, will be held at the Central Park Hotel in Songdo, Incheon from April 12 to 14. OLED KOREA, which marks its 7th anniversary, is a business conference where top authorities in display from Korea, Japan, Asia, the United States, and Europe gather.

This conference will deal with the topics of OLED, which has become a premium electronic product, and micro-display for AR and VR, which are rapidly emerging as future industries.

In order for OLED to replace LCD, the emergence of phosphorescent blue materials is the most important. At this conference, Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology and UDC will introduce the direction of phosphorescent material development. Commercialization of phosphorescent blue materials will be an inflection point that can overturn the display industry.

There are two types of micro displays: micro OLED and micro LED. While micro OLED is leading the way for VR, micro LED is gradually taking its place in AR. In OLED KOREA, programs are composed of AR companies, micro display manufacturers, and related technology companies. It will be an important place to guess who will be the winner of the future micro display.

The pre-registration period for this conference is until April 7, 2023, and you can check program and speaker information and register for the event through the website (https://oledkoreaconference.com/).

 

Blue Phosphorescent Material Will Be a Turning Point in the OLED Market [2022 Second Half OLED Seminar]

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UBI Research, Ripple effects of blue phosphorescent materials (Second half of 2022 OLED Seminar)

UBI Research, Ripple effects of blue phosphorescent materials (Second half of 2022 OLED Seminar)

At the ‘The Second Half of 2022 OLED Accounting Seminar’ held at the FKI in Yeouido on November 9, UBI Research CEO Choong-Hoon Lee predicted that the blue phosphorescent material, an essential condition for the expansion of the OLED market, would be developed in 2024 and commercialized in 2025.

CEO Lee said, “U.S. material company UDC is developing a blue phosphorescent material by mixing TADF with phosphorescent dopant. The lifespan and characteristics of the material are equivalent to those of fluorescent materials two years ago, and the development of blue phosphorescent materials can be a turning point in the OLED market due to the characteristics of mobile devices where power consumption is important.”

UBI Research, Ripple effects of blue phosphorescent materials (Second half of 2022 OLED Seminar)

UBI Research, Ripple effects of blue phosphorescent materials (Second half of 2022 OLED Seminar)

Currently, Samsung Display’s QD-OLED has a structure in which a blue light emitting layer is stacked three times. If a blue phosphorescent material is used instead of fluorescence for QD-OLED, it is possible to replace the existing structure in which the blue light emitting layer is stacked three times with a structure in which the blue light emitting layer is stacked once or twice.

CEO Lee explained, “It is possible to replace not only smartphones and smart watches, but also OLEDs for tablet PCs and automobiles under development with a tandem structure with a single structure. The development of blue phosphorescent materials will accelerate the transition from LCD to OLED.”

UBI Research, Ripple effects of blue phosphorescent materials (Second half of 2022 OLED Seminar)

UBI Research, Ripple effects of blue phosphorescent materials (Second half of 2022 OLED Seminar)

Next, CEO Lee continued his presentation on OLED market trends. The situation is not easy for Korean companies due to the deteriorating market conditions and panel price cuts by Chinese panel makers. According to UBI Research, Samsung Display’s smartphone OLED shipments in the third quarter of this year were 78.9 million units, down 35% from 121.4 million units in the same period last year.

CEO Lee Choong-hoon said, “If you look at OLED shipments by substrate, flexible OLED is similar to the same period of the previous year, but rigid OLED declined sharply. As Chinese panel makers cut rigid OLED panel prices, domestic companies’ position in the rigid OLED market is narrowing. Samsung Display may stop producing rigid OLED panels in the next year or so.” he analyzed.

Finally, even in the first half of 2023, despite the unfavorable OLED market conditions, OLED panel shipments for TVs are expected to increase slightly. CEO Lee said, “The number of OLED panels for TV from 8.7 million this year is expected to increase to 9.5 million next year. LG Electronics is expected to produce 4.5 million WOLED TVs and Samsung Electronics is expected to increase QD-OLED TV shipments from 450,000 this year to 1 million next year.” He added, “Although Samsung Electronics entered the OLED TV market, it remains to be seen whether the deterioration of the overall TV market will affect the OLED TV market expansion.”

▶ 2022 Mid-Large OLED Display Semi-Annual Report Sample Download 

1Q of 2022 OLED Emitting Material Market $420 million, up 9% Compared to the Same Quarter of the Previous Year

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According to “2Q22 OLED Emitting Material Market Track”, a quarterly report published by UBI Research, the sales of emitting materials in the first quarter were $421 million, down 21.1% (QoQ) from $533 million in the previous quarter but was an increase by 9% (YoY)when compared to $386 million in the first quarter of 2021.
Although sales of emitting materials for TV and mobile devices decreased compared to the previous quarter, IT sales recorded a meaningful figure of $6.6 million. Although sales fluctuate depending on seasonal demand for applied products, if the sales of emitting materials are analyzed by application product, TV use is gradually increasing.

The top 3 companies in 1Q sales were UDC($86.6 million), DuPont($41.3 million), and Duksan($37.5 million). Duksan became the number one company in sales as a Korean company. The overall sales of luminescent materials in the first quarter decreased compared to the previous quarter but only UDC’s sales increased. Sales decreased to $421.5 million in 1Q22 from $533.8 million in 4Q21. However, UDC’s 1Q22 sales increased to $86.6 million from 4Q21’s sales of $85.5 million. It is estimated that this is due to the rise in the price of rare earth metals, a key material for manufacturing dopant.
Estimated sales of emitting materials in 2022 are $1.77 billion and are expected to grow to $2.4 billion in 2026.
By application product, the projected sales of emitting materials for smartphones this year are $1.4 billion, accounting for 79% of the total.
Of the projected sales in 2026, emitting materials for TV are expected to reach $550 million, which is expected to increase by 23%. In addition, emitting materials for IT are expected to account for 9% of $210 million.

“OLED Emitting Material Market Track” surveys and analyzes the market for quarterly OLED emitting materials. The total market of light emitting materials was identified by examining sales by light emitting layer and common layer. Performance analysis was categorized by country, panel maker, application product, layer, and OLED method (RGB, WRGB, QD-OLED). In addition, OLED market information for the next five years (up to 2026) was forecasted by predicting the amount of emitting material usage and sales by company. The quarterly market track provides necessary information to industry professionals who lead the OLED industry.

2022 OLED KOREA Conference Day1 (Session highlights)

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Chinese OLED smartphones released in 2021, 62% increase compared to 2020

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Of the total 226 OLED smartphones released in 2021, China released 175. This is an overwhelming 77.4% share in the market. Korea released 20, which is half of the 39 in 2020. The United States released 16 and other countries released 15.

By size, there were 218 products in the 6-inch range, accounting for 96.5% of the market share, indicating that 6-inch products have established themselves as mainstream. In addition, 3 products in the 8-inch range, 2 products in the 5-inch range and 7-inch range, and 1 product in the 4-inch range were released. All 7-inch and larger products were foldable.

By display design, the punch hole model was released at an overwhelming 173, followed by the notch model at 31, the narrow-bezel model at 15, the under display camera (UDC) and pop-up camera at 3 models each, and 1 product with a home button was released.

Finally, in the display area (D.A), which is the display area to the size of the smartphone, 194 products belonging to 80-90% accounted for 85.8% of the product, 29 products above 90% and 1 product under 80% were released. The home button is now gone, the notch design is reduced, and the average D.A. has increased due to the continuous launch of full-screen smartphones. The product with the highest D.A was 94.9%, which occupies the Honor’s Magic3 series.

UDC, whose total revenue increases by 59% in Q2 2017 with royalty and license fees

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UDC(Universal Display Corporation) has announced the financial performance of the 2nd quarter of 2017 as of Aug 3rd.

UDC’s total revenues in the second quarter of 2017 has been recorded as US $125millon, increased by 59 percent, compared to that of the previous year, US $ 64.4 million. Material sales has been also increased by 110 percent to $ 46.8 million; the profit from royalties and license fees increased by 28 percent to $ 53.7 million; $ 26.5 million was contributed to the operation profit to make US $ 60.5 million, and net profit for this term has been increased from US $ 2,540 to US $ 47.2 million.

The UDC has seen its total revenue contributed by royalty and license fees and the material revenue by the increase in sales of blue and green phosphorescent materials.

As the OLED market grows, the OLED material market co-prospers, leading to business growth of UDC. According to 2017 OLED Emitting Materials Market Report of UBI search, the global OLED emitting materials market shows great prospects with the market size worth $ 960 million in 2017, and it is anticipated to reach the annual average growth rate 37%, enlarging the market size as $ 3.36 billion by 2021.

<Market Forecast of Emitting Materials>

UDC Introduced Organic Vapor Jet Printing That Keeps the Life time and Efficiency of OLED Emitting Material

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Mike Hack, vice president of UDC introduced solution process technology, OVJP (Organic Vapor Jet Printing) technology during the COLOR IS UNIVERSAL Session of “The 3rd OLED KOREA CONFERENCE” hosted by UBI Research.

Mike Hack emphasized “OVJP technology can still use OLED materials used for the deposition process unlike the existing ink-jet solution process, and FMM and solvent are unnecessary”.

Besides, he introduced UDC’s Novel BY Display Architecture. According to his announcement, this structure has increased the mask opening size for one-time 2 pixel deposition. Also, Novel BY Display Architecture features the alternate deposition of blue and yellow sub pixels instead of existing RGB, and red and green CF in half of yellow sub pixel is arranged in a vertical symmetrical fashion.

Mike Hack said “This structure maximized not only the fill factor of blue and yellow sub pixel but also the color reproduction rate, efficiency and life time of OLED panel”. He also mentioned it can reduce manufacturing costs due to the use of less than 3data per pixel and 2-step EML deposition(FMM).
Lastly, UDC closed its announcement adding that they aim at the development and commercialization of PH emitter and host.

Meanwhile, according to “Market Entry Analysis for Solution Process OLED” by UBI Research, the emitting material used for the ink-jet solution process employs a method of mixing various solvents in an emitting material used for the deposition process. It lowered the purity of a materials, thereby reducing emitting efficiency and life time. Despite this advantage, solution process can increase the usage efficiency of emitting materials without using color filter and manufacture large-screen OLED panels via RGB pixel structure without panel split through over Gen8 equipment. Due to this advantage, major panel companies are actively developing it and trying to achieve the preoccupancy of commercialization.

UDC Announces Q2 2016 Financial Results

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Source = UDC

Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

Universal Display Corporation( UDC ), enabling energy-efficient displays and lighting with its Universal PHOLED technology and materials, today reported financial results for the second quarter ended June 30, 2016.

For the second quarter of 2016, the Company reported net income of $21.8 million, or $0.46 per diluted share, on revenues of $64.4 million. This includes $1.8 million of currency exchange loss related to the BASF OLED patent acquisition. For the second quarter of 2015, the Company reported a net loss of $11.8 million, or $0.25 per diluted share, on revenues of $58.1 million. The 2015 net loss reflected a $33.0 million write-down of inventory, primarily of an existing host material and associated work-in-process. Excluding this item and its associated $1.9 million reduction of income tax expense, adjusted net income for the second quarter of 2015 was $19.4 million, or $0.41 per diluted share (see “reconciliation of non-GAAP Measures” below for further discussion of the non-GAAP measures included in this release).

“Our second quarter 2016 revenues and net income increased year-over-year, and we maintained our strong margin profile. We are confident that the underlying growth fundamentals of our long-term outlook remain robust, but near-term, we expect our revenue growth will be delayed by about six months,” said Sidney D. Rosenblatt, Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Universal Display.

Rosenblatt continued, “We expect strong revenue growth in 2017. At that time, new OLED production from the multi-year capital expenditure cycle is slated to start contributing to our revenues. Ahead of this wave of high-volume capacity, we have been working to expand and broaden our team and core competencies to advance our strategic initiatives and increase our competitive edge. We expect these initiatives, along with new OLED capacity, coupled with our pipeline of new materials, new technologies and new agreements, to bolster our long-term growth plan.”

Financial Highlights for the Second Quarter of 2016

The Company reported revenues of $64.4 million, compared to revenues of $58.1 million for the same quarter of 2015, an increase of 10.8%. Material sales were $22.3 million, down 8.3% compared to the second quarter of 2015, primarily due to a $2.0 million decline in host material sales. Royalty and license fees were $42.0 million, up from $33.7 million in the second quarter of 2015. The Company recognized $37.5 million in Samsung Display Co., Ltd. (SDC) licensing revenue in the second quarter of 2016, up from $30.0 million in the same quarter of 2015.

The Company reported operating income of $34.0 million in the second quarter of 2016, compared to an operating loss of $4.8 million for the second quarter of 2015. Excluding the inventory write-down of $33.0 million, adjusted operating income was $28.2 million for the second quarter of 2015. Operating expenses were $30.4 million, compared to $62.9 million in the second quarter of 2015 and cost of materials was $5.7 million, compared to $39.1 million in the second quarter of 2015, both of which included the inventory write-down of $33.0 million in the second quarter of 2015.

The Company’s balance sheet remained strong, with cash and cash equivalents and investments of $332.0 million as of June 30, 2016. During the second quarter, the Company added $96.0 million in intangible assets in the form of intellectual property purchases and certain other assets from BASF, increasing the portfolio to more than 4,100 issued and pending patents worldwide. During the second quarter, the Company generated $36.2 million in operating cash flow.

Financial Highlights for the First Six Months of 2016

The Company reported revenues of $94.1 million, compared to revenues of $89.3 million for the first half of 2015, or an increase of 5.4%. Material sales were $46.6 million, down 8.8% compared to $51.1 million in the first half of 2015, primarily due to a $7.0 million decline in host sales. Royalty and license fees were $47.4 million, up from $38.1 million in the first half of 2015.

The Company reported operating income of $36.7 million in the first half of 2016, compared to an operating loss of $3.1 million for the first half of 2015. Excluding the inventory write-down of $33.0 million, adjusted operating income was $30.0 million for 2015. For the first half of 2016, we reported net income of $23.8 million, or $0.51 per diluted share, compared to a net loss of $10.5 million, or $0.23 per diluted share, for the same period of 2015. Excluding the inventory write-down and the associated $1.9 million reduction of income tax expense, adjusted net income was $20.7 million, or $0.45 per diluted share, for the first half of 2015.

Operating cash flow for the first half of 2016 was $36.2 million, a decrease of 51.8% compared to $75.2 million for the first half of 2015 which included an upfront $42.0 million license and royalty payment.

2016 Guidance

While the OLED industry is still at a stage where many variables can have a material impact on its growth, based upon the most recent and best information on hand, the Company believes it is prudent to revise its 2016 revenues guidance. The Company now expects 2016 revenues to be in the range of $190 million to $200 million.

UDC Announces Strategic Acquisition of Adesis

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Hyunjoo Kang / jjoo@olednet.com

UDC announced today that it has entered into an agreement to acquire Adesis, Inc. Adesis is a privately held contract research organization (CRO) with 43 employees specializing in organic and organometallic synthetic research, development, and commercialization. Adesis is a critical technology vendor to companies in the pharmaceutical, fine chemical, biomaterials, and catalyst industries, and has worked with Universal Display over the last few years to help advance and accelerate a number of Universal Display’s product offerings.

“This acquisition is part of our strategic growth plan. We believe that it will provide additional highly-skilled resources to further advance our initiatives for the development and delivery of next-generation proprietary emissive material systems in the rapidly evolving OLED industry,” said Steven V. Abramson, President and Chief Executive Officer of Universal Display. “Moreover, we expect it to enable us to leverage our twenty-plus years of experience in developing and commercializing cutting-edge chemistry technologies to help expand Adesis’ businesses across its end-markets including pharma, biotech and catalysis. We are delighted to welcome Dr. Andrew Cottone, President of Adesis, Dr. Ving Lee, Chief Scientific Officer, and the vastly experienced Adesis team to UDC.”

“We are very excited to become part of UDC and build additional synergies between both companies, and further enhance the growth of UDC’s OLED leadership,” said Andrew Cottone, President of Adesis, Inc. “In addition, we anticipate that Adesis will benefit from UDC’s financial and business acumen to better support our clients with world-class technology and expertise, and reinforce our positioning for continued growth as a specialty chemical CRO.”

Under the terms of the agreement, Universal Display will acquire all outstanding shares of Adesis, Inc. in a merger for approximately $36 million in cash. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2016, subject to customary closing conditions. Following the closing, Adesis will operate as a wholly-owned subsidiary of Universal Display Corporation. Andrew Cottone will continue as the President of Adesis, and Steve Abramson will become the Chairman of the Board of Adesis.