Light Polymers Announces Next-Generation OLED Polarizer Technology

SAN FRANCISCO–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Light Polymers, a nanochemistry startup with R&D headquarters near
Silicon Valley and application teams in Taiwan and Korea, is announcing
a next-generation circular polarizer for OLED displays based on
lyotropic liquid crystal technology. Light Polymers’ proprietary
nanochemistry creates a circular polarizer at 45 µm, thinner than any
competitive offering.

A circular polarizer is an essential part of an OLED display as the
component which reduces the reflections of light off of the mirror-like
surface of an OLED panel. Without the circular polarizer, an OLED panel
would act just like a mirror, reflecting all of the light back and
rendering the OLED display unreadable. The major trend in the smartphone
market this year is borderless displays with edge-to-edge screen, one of
the major advances in Apple’s iPhone X. These phones use what is called
a “Flexible OLED Display,” as it can wrap around the edge of the
smartphone, and it is widely used in Samsung’s Galaxy smartphone
offering as well. Light Polymers is now working on a foldable version of
this circular polarizer and since its technology is the thinnest,
significant progress has been made with a possible introduction in 2018.
This technology pushes the industry one step closer to making foldable
displays.

Light Polymers’ polarizer chemistry is water-based and can be coated
using industry standard coating equipment at nearly room temperature
without high drying temperatures. “Polarizers are a fundamental part
of any flat panel display technology, including OLED,” said Marc
McConnaughey, President/CEO of Light Polymers. “The polarizer
industry’s current technology is nearly forty years old and based on PVA
or polyvinyl alcohol which requires significant capital expense. One
production line is over $50M and makes 30-40M m2
per year. Our polarizer nanochemistry enables the industry to use
production lines at 1/10th the capex costs and
utilizes much less energy and processing additives.”

This advance in new materials science is made possible by Light
Polymers’ proprietary lyotropic liquid crystal chemistry. Light
Polymers’ lyotropic polarizer costs less to manufacture and exhibits
better technical characteristics – making it a truly evolutionary step
in OLED polarizer technology.

About Light Polymers
Light Polymers is a nanochemistry
company with deep domain knowledge of lyotropic liquid crystals, which
has use in many applications including LCD and OLED flat panel displays,
LED lighting, and other applications. Founded in 2013 in San Francisco,
Light Polymers develops water-based nanochemistry. For more information,
visit http://www.lightpolymers.com/.

Contacts

Write2Market for Light Polymers
Casey Stokes, 404-428-2135
[email protected]