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Samsung Display to obtain US-based OLED microdisplay firm eMagin
The US-based OLED microdisplay maker eMagin is no unknown name. Its name was mentioned in various previous reports, all thanks to Samsung. It has been rumored a lot lately that the Korean Display firm is interested in eMagin’s technology; specifically, Samsung is planning to use it in AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality) devices. Now some recent reports suggest that Samsung Display is now acquiring eMagin.
As per the reports, Samsung is spending $218 million (in cash) to acquire eMagin. It is said that this amount is 10% higher than the company’s stock price on May 16, 2023. If you don’t know, eMagin worked with various popular companies interested in the AR/VR space, including Samsung, but its main interest is in defense. So, it will be interesting to see how Samsung’s acquisition affects its engagements with the US military.
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Now, let’s get back to our main topic, Samsung Display is acquiring eMagin to expand its OLED microdisplay manufacturing. Samsung has taken this action after learning that more AR/VR devices are coming to market. However, there is a huge difference between eMagin and Samsung Display’s products. As it’s Samsung’s first-gen OLED microdisplay, it uses color filters in them, while eMagin’s products use direct emission technology.
Let us tell you, direct emission technology is said to be the best, so there is a high possibility that we may get to see it in Samsung Display’s second-generation products. If you are unaware, OLED microdisplays are a crucial and currently growing market, as these are extremely small display panels that are sized around an inch or smaller. However, their small size doesn’t affect their quality as they are high in resolution.
Not only the size and resolution but the microdisplay’s brightness is also outstanding. For example, eMagin’s OLED microdisplay is exceptionally bright, at 15000 nits, and now they are planning to develop a full-color OLED microdisplay with over 28,000 nits of brightness. We may get to see this incredible product later this year. Hence, we can say that having such advanced technology will benefit Samsung Display for sure.
Andrew G. Sculley, the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of eMagin, stated concerning Samsung’s acquisition of eMagin:
“This agreement is a validation of our technical achievements to date, including our proprietary direct patterning (dPd) technology, provides a significant premium for our shareholders, and represents a win for our customers and employees. By teaming with Samsung Display, we will be able to achieve the full potential of our next-generation microdisplay technology with a partner that can provide the resources and expertise we will need to scale production. Moreover, our customers will benefit from resulting improvement to our production capabilities in terms of yield, efficiency, and quality control.“