Laser Microelectronics Supplier Coherent Plans to ‘Double Down’ on OLED Business

Coherent is “encouraged” with the “multiple” laptop manufacturers that are beginning to offer OLED displays as options for their high-end models, said CEO Andy Mattes on a fiscal Q2 call Wednesday. The company supplies laser-based microelectronics to panel makers. The trend toward OLED-embedded laptops “is likely to continue, especially as the yields of our Chinese customers improve and they have the ability to move pricing more in line with LCD over time,” he said. Coherent also remains optimistic about “the pending upgrade cycle” to 5G smartphones, he said. “The linkage between thin-flexible OLED screens and 5G capability seems high, driven by the need for larger batteries to occupy more of the device volume as a requirement for powering the shorter-range, higher-frequency antennas.” Coherent plans to “double down” on the OLED display business, he said. It will also use its “pole position” in laser microelectronics to “enable advancement of technologies” like microLED displays, he said: “These are still in the future, but will be based on many laser processor steps.”