German chemicals and pharmaceuticals producer Merck (Darmstadt; www.merck.de) has laid the cornerstone for a new EUR 30m plant, which will produce high-purity organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs) from July 2016. Within two years of start-up, Merck said it aims to become a leading producer of the semiconducting organic materials designed for use in state-of-the-art displays and lighting systems. The new plant is one of the largest single investments made by the company at Darmstadt in recent years.

In the new facility, Merck will be able to build on its experience in manufacturing liquid crystals for displays, for which it now claims global leadership. “OLED technology has the potential to become the technology of the future for displays and lighting,” said managing board member Bernd Reckmann. The German company claims to be one of the pioneers in the field, and Reckmann called the new plant “another important link in this chain.” Merck declined to comment ont he plastics used in the OLEDs when approached by Plasteurope.com.

As one of the targeted uses for the new products, Merck is cooperating with Japanese printing technology specialist Seiko Epson on printable displays for OLED screens. Applications in smartphones, tablets and televisions, but also in flexible or rollable screens used in ultra-thin, energy-saving displays for portable devices or large video walls are foreseen for OLEDs using thin-film technology. The company said applications for OLEDs in the automotive industry as well as medicine and education are also possible.

The development of suitable plastic substrates is paving the way for flexible and transparent OLED displays, as Merck noted. In future, it will be possible to install large displays in small spaces and to use these displays where glass is not an option, the company said, adding that OLED technology is also setting new standards for lighting.