Sony to put over $200M into OLED production

Tokyo-based Sony (NYSE: SNE) announced plans today to pour over $200 million into technology for organic light-emitting diode displays.

Sony, one of the world's top consumer electronics firms, said it would invest approximately 22 billion yen, or $204.5 million, to strengthen middle and large size OLED panel production technology.

The company released its first OLED TV in December, but it only has an 11-inch screen. With this new investment, Sony said it plans "to accelerate the shift to middle and large size, high image quality OLED panels."

OLED displays use organic compounds that emit light when electricity is applied, but unlike liquid crystal displays, they do not need backlighting, making OLEDs thinner and more energy efficient.

Sony isn't the only company on the move toward organic displays. Last year, Ewing, N.J.-based Universal Display (Nasdaq: PANL) received a research grant from the U.S. Department of Energy for white OLED lighting (see Universal Display gets grant for OLED research).

Pittsburgh-based printed electronics developer Plextronics also plans to get into the OLED game (see Solar goes organic).

The company is working on bringing down the costs of solar cells, but expects to see its technology used in OLED displays as well.

Sony said plans to make its investment in OLEDs starting in the second half of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009.

The company said it plans to reinforce its thin film transistor and electroluminescent layer coating processing facilities at its Higashiura factory, and would implement new production technology during the fiscal year ending March 31, 2010.

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