Samsung Display said Wednesday it anticipates to begin mass production of quantum-dot panels from 2021.

The company held a celebratory event at its facility in Asan, South Chungcheong Province, where CEO Lee Dong-hoon oversaw the delivery of the first batch of QD manufacturing equipment.

“Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, our close collaborative ecosystem with global partners enabled us to carry out our QD investments according to plan,” said Choi Joo-sun, chief of large-size display unit.

“We will strive to produce unparalleled QD displays based on our advanced technology and 20-year-long experience in large-size liquid-crystal displays,” Choi said.

Since announcing its plan to invest in QD technology in October 2019, Samsung Display has partially removed L8 manufacturing line for LCD screens for TVs and recently completed construction of clean rooms for QD lines.

With the installation of 8.5-generation vapor deposition machinery as a start, Samsung Display plans to complete the QD manufacturing line within this year and kick in commercial production next year.

Gradual test runs will precede the full-on production, the company said.

The transition from LCD to QD is a strategic decision by Samsung Display to tackle the premium TV market in the coming years. The LCD market is now inundated with cost-effective Chinese products that erode business profitability, whereas QD is rising as the next-generation technology for high-definition TVs.

Samsung Display said that it is currently honing the final-stage technologies that will add to its products’ quality and quantity.

By Lim Jeong-yeo (kaylalim@heraldcorp.com)