Samsung Display is making progress towards reducing the number of layers in the “quantum dot sheet”, a key component of its QLED televisions, and the good news is that, if it works, it should result in those products costing a whole lot less than they do now.
The quantum dot sheet is one of the most expensive elements of QLED TVs, with its primary role being to enhance the colour reproduction capabilities of LCD displays. At present, the quantum dot sheets used in today’s QLED TVs currently have a carrier film on the front and the back, designed to protect the actual quantum dots from oxygen and water, which can quickly degrade them.
As the South Korean website The Elec points out, those barrier films account for around 405 of the cost of the quantum dot sheets – which is why Samsung Display is working with a company called Hansol Chemical to eliminate them completely.
They have just developed a new prototype quantum dot sheet that doesn’t have barrier films, which means it has just three layers instead of five. The Elec doesn’t go into any detail on exactly how the partners have managed to eliminate the barrier film, but it notes that the new design won’t expose the quantum dots to any potential problems.
Should Samsung and Hansol be able to perfect this new quantum dot sheet design, it could result in a fairly noticeable drop in the price of QLED panels, though it remains to be seen when the technology will be ready. However, The Elec also notes that there’s no guarantee that whatever cost savings arise will be passed onto consumers, as Samsung could also choose to reinvest the money it retains into other parts of the TV, improving the panel backlights or audio system, for example.
It must also be pointed out that Samsung Display no longer manufactures QLED panels itself -- instead it contracts them out to Chinese suppliers, which will have to implement the new technique and will also likely want to share in whatever bounty it provides in terms of reduced manufacturing costs.
Unfortunately, it seems unlikely that this development will have any impact on Samsung Display’s QD-OLED display technology, which uses a completely different design. It’s a shame, because QLED televisions are already quite affordable in comparison to OLED models such as the Samsung S95F or Sony Bravia 8 II, which are among the most expensive TVs going on sale this year.
