Sumitomo Chemical has announced that it will establish a new Device Development  Center (the Center) at its Ehime Works to develop device technologies for highly efficient,  high-resolution displays using polymer organic LEDs (PLEDs). The Center will be equipped  with facilities for all the processes necessary for device manufacture, including printing,  electrode formation, substrate patterning and encapsulation. Using advanced technologies for device manufacture developed by Cambridge Display Technology (CDT), a wholly  owned subsidiary of Sumitomo Chemical, the Center will work to build the capabilities for  commercial manufacture of devices that use PLEDs. The Device Development Center will  also enable Sumitomo Chemical to further accelerate cooperative development with its customers.

Having begun development of PLEDs in 1989, Sumitomo Chemical was one of the first  companies in the world to develop these materials. In 2001, the Company began a  technological partnership with CDT, a pioneer in PLED development.

The two companies  launched the joint venture SUMATION in 2005, and then, in 2007, Sumitomo Chemical  acquired CDT in its efforts to further accelerate commercialization of PLEDs. Establishing  the Device Development Center will bring together CDT’s device manufacturing  technologies such as device design, component, and industrial production technologies,  SUMATION’s cutting-edge electroluminescence technologies and Sumitomo Chemical’s  accumulated engineering and manufacturing expertise in IT-related areas such as color  filters. By integrating the technologies of these three companies to the greatest possible
extent, Sumitomo Chemical seeks to establish commercial technologies for the manufacture  of PLED devices.
 
Compared to small molecule LEDs (SMOLEDs) currently in commercial use, PLEDs  enable the formation of the luminescent layer using inkjet printing or other solution-based  technologies, making possible the manufacture of larger display panels and also offering  superior cost-competitiveness. As the market for PLEDs grows, Sumitomo Chemical will  further leverage these advantages of PLED materials to develop a robust market for  high-resolution, large-size PLED displays, capitalizing on the manufacturing technologies  that will be developed by its new Device Development Center.