Panel giant LG Display (LGD) hosted an online technical seminar for FLiPP on the 8th, publicly unveiling the overview and R&D progress of its self-developed FLiPP (FMM-Less Innovative Pixel Patterning) technology.
FLiPP is an OLED manufacturing process named by LGD. It eliminates the need for a Fine Metal Mask (FMM) and forms pixels through photolithography. In this process, RGB organic materials are deposited across the entire substrate first. Ultraviolet (UV) light is then used to precisely remove unwanted sections, ultimately forming pixels.
https://www.perfectdisplay.com/model-eb27dqa-165hz-product/
https://www.perfectdisplay.com/model-mm25dfa-240hz-product/
Recently, LGD publicly showcased samples of its self-developed FLiPP (FMM-Less Innovative Pixel Patterning) technology for the first time. This OLED technology has also secured nearly 500 million yuan in national R&D funding support and has been designated a national-level R&D project in South Korea, with the goal of seizing the commanding heights of next-generation display technology.
LGD officially outlined three core advantages of FLiPP: improved luminous efficiency thanks to a higher aperture ratio, independent optimization of RGB pixels, and drastically boosted production efficiency via the in-line evaporation process.
- Process cycle reduced by more than one-third compared with conventional FMM technology;
- Resolution ceiling lifted directly to 1000 PPI, versus only 500–600 PPI for conventional FMM-based smartphone OLED panels;
- Compatible with sizes ranging from 1-inch microdisplays up to 100-inch ultra-large panels, also applicable to AR and VR devices;
- Enables Tandem OLED and supports integrated touch control; the performance of a single-layer FLiPP device can match that of tandem OLED made with the FMM process.
Vice President Choi Yong-seok, CTO of LGD, noted that in terms of production line reuse, FLiPP does not require an all-new Gen 8.6 fab. Existing WOLED lines can be retrofitted for reuse to produce top-emission OLED on the original infrastructure, sharply cutting capital expenditure. This constitutes LGD’s core strategy: instead of committing massive capital to build new Gen 8.6 FMM OLED fabs like peers, it achieves technological upgrading with far lower investment.
The R&D team disclosed that substantive FLiPP development kicked off in July 2025. The biggest technical challenge lies in process uniformity across large Gen 8 glass substrates, ensuring consistent processing results from the centre to the edges of the substrate. The team leveraged evaporation and mass-production expertise accumulated on WOLED mass-production evaporation lines to shorten the R&D cycle, with ample room left for subsequent yield and performance optimisation.
In strategic deployment, LGD plans to roll out FLiPP first for IT OLED products such as notebooks and monitors. Low OLED penetration in the IT segment previously stemmed from both technical constraints and the high cost of the FMM process, which kept end pricing prohibitive. LGD stated it will not wait for the IT OLED market to mature before entering; instead, it will actively open up the IT OLED market powered by FLiPP.
Following the presentation, LGD held a Q&A session with media and financial investors. Participants included LGD CTO Vice President Choi Yong-seok, Cho Heung-ryeol, Managing Director in charge of Next-Generation Display Business, and Kim Yong-yong, FLiPP Specialist Committee Member.
Q: What is the mass-production timeline for FLiPP, and what R&D phases lie ahead?
Choi Yong-seok (CTO): Product development covers three stages: technology R&D, product development, and mass production. FLiPP is currently in the technology R&D phase. It is too early to confirm a mass-production schedule; the timeline will be finalised through negotiation once customers are locked in.
Q: Does LGD plan to convert all OLED production lines to the FLiPP process in the future?
Choi Yong-seok (CTO): FLiPP is expected to be deployed first for IT categories including notebooks and monitors. Other product lines will continue mass production using alternative processes for now; full conversion is unnecessary at this stage. Medium- and long-term plans will be determined later based on customer demand and market conditions.
Q: Against competitors’ technologies such as JDI’s eLEAP and Visionox’s ViP, what differentiates FLiPP?
Cho Heung-ryeol (Managing Director): Conceptual similarity should not be equated with technical similarity. While FLiPP resembles competing technologies at the conceptual level, differences exist in materials, device architecture and structural design.
Q: Can this technology deliver cost reduction?
Kim Yong-yong (Committee Member): FLiPP not only delivers superior performance but also offers cost advantages. Eliminating FMM removes related maintenance costs for equipment and labour, while resolving inherent yield issues caused by FMM. Material costs are also markedly lower than FMM-based solutions.
Q: Is LGD considering investment in Gen 8.6 OLED fabs?
Choi Yong-seok (CTO): With FLiPP, production can be carried out by reusing existing infrastructure. Therefore, FLiPP delivers substantial returns with much lower investment compared with building a new Gen 8.6 fab.
Q: WOLED and IT-targeted OLED emit light in different directions (bottom-emission vs top-emission). Will retrofitting existing WOLED equipment to manufacture FLiPP panels face obstacles?
Cho Heung-ryeol (Managing Director): By adopting the FLiPP device structure, retrofitted existing WOLED lines can produce top-emission panels.
Q: Can the FLiPP process manufacture Tandem OLED?
Cho Heung-ryeol (Managing Director): Yes, and integrated touch functionality is also supported. If a single-layer FLiPP device reaches twice the performance of an FMM single-layer device, its performance can match that of FMM tandem structures.
Q: How long is the FLiPP R&D cycle, and what was the greatest hurdle during development?
Kim Yong-yong (Committee Member): Substantive R&D commenced in July 2025. Patterning is FLiPP’s core technology and demands advanced process capability. Gen 8 glass substrates feature large areas, and consistent process uniformity from centre to edge alongside yield uniformity control represents the biggest challenge. That said, we have repurposed evaporation technology and mass-production know-how from WOLED evaporation lines for FLiPP development to shorten the development cycle. This experience is also expected to greatly support subsequent performance and yield improvements.
Q: FMM smartphone OLED panels reach roughly 500–600 PPI. What is the maximum resolution achievable with FLiPP?
Choi Yong-seok (CTO): We believe it can hit up to 1000 PPI.
Q: LGD previously held the view that the market for Gen 8.6 FMM OLED for IT applications was immature. Why is FLiPP prioritised for IT products now?
Choi Yong-seok (CTO): Few consumers can actually purchase OLED IT products today, due to both technical limitations and high pricing. Conventional FMM solutions struggle to resolve this pain point. Therefore, instead of waiting for the market to mature before entry, we aim to develop the IT OLED market through FLiPP technology.
Post time: Oct-16-2026