XTPL signs an agreement with another player from the display market
- On 28 February, XTPL S.A. and Suzhou Cowin Laser Technology Co Ltd based in China signed a Technology Evaluation Agreement (TEA);
- The TEA with the Chinese partner starts the process of evaluation of the XTPL technology in the area of open defect repair in displays;
- Cowin is a supplier of display production devices for leading players from this sector, such as BOE (revenue of USD 7.7 billion in H1 2019), CSOT (China Star Optoelectronics Technology) and Tianma (capitalization of USD 4.5 billion).
The goal of the commenced proof of concept stage is to confirm the parameters of the technology commercialized by XTPL and to assess the possibility of implementing it in the Chinese partner’s production processes.
Cowin is looking for a technology for repairing open defects in new generation displays, which it plans to implement in the devices it produces and to offer it to its clients.
– Rejects on display production lines can reach up to 50% in the case of defects, especially where a new generation of displays enters production. The cost of a semi-finished product when it comes to displays amounts to 50–70% of the cost of the final product, so manufacturers cannot afford to give up repairing defects. In order to be able to implement this process efficiently, given the progressing miniaturization and simultaneous increase in the resolution of the new generation displays, they expect significantly higher precision from the repair method. That is why XTPL is on the technology maps of the leaders of this sector and establishes strong relationships with their suppliers, such as our new partner Cowin – says Filip Granek, the CEO of XTPL.
Cowin is a manufacturer of devices and components for the production of displays. XTPL’s potential client is a supplier for leading players in this sector, such as BOE (leader of the global display market, which is working on an independent proof of concept project with XTPL); CSOT (display manufacturer based in China, producing LCD panels and developing OLED technology) and Tianma (global display manufacturer operating for over three decades, producing modern LCD displays and new display lines using the AM-OLED technology).
– We look forward to a positive outcome of our cooperation with Cowin. We are currently making prints on the substrates supplied by the partner and in accordance with his specifications. As the next step, our method will be evaluated by the Chinese company’s R&D unit – Filip Granek adds – The XTPL team’s results in the area of open defect repair are highly desirable by the market. We are the first to use the additive nanoprinting method to achieve detours with a width below 3 μm for repairing broken metallic lines, one that is meeting a number of the client’s requirements. This technological result reaffirms our position as a global leader in ultra-precise printing.
Asia is a natural destination for XTPL. The high concentration of companies developing technologies for the display industry, and global corporations producing advanced electronics encourage the firm’s increased activity in this region. In November 2019, XTPL signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Korean HPK – one of the main suppliers of open defect repair solutions for the LG Display group. During that period, the firm also entered into an agreement with BOE for the evaluation of the XTPL solution designed to improve conductivity in the latest generation of OLED and QLED displays.
– The commercialization process in deep-tech companies – such as XTPL – each time consists of at least several stages. Cooperation agreements signed in recent months mark our entry to the next levels of advancement in the delivery of this process with selected partners. It is natural that the technology intended for mass production of advanced electronics must be carefully tested and properly adapted. We work actively with our partners to meet all the requirements necessary to ensure commercial implementation of our solutions on the market – Filip Granek sums up.