Tokyo, Japan -- Sony Corporation today announced the start of mass production of "Super Top EmissionTM" Active-matrix Full-color Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) Display panels from Spring 2004. Production will be initially for the supply of display panels for mobile devices, and Sony will make a capital investment of approximately 9 billion yen to establish an OLED mass production line in ST-LCD Corporation (ST-LCD)*.

OLED is a self-luminous display without backlight. Sony started the development of OLED in the early '90s and demonstrated a 13" display as thin as 1.4mm in February 2001 and a 24" display which consisted of four integrated 12"individual panels in January 2003. Sony's original active matrix OLED is made of small-molecule organic luminescent materials, and Sony has adopted "Super Top EmissionTM" and an all solid-state device structure to achieve the advantages of high quality color reproduction, high contrast ratio, quick response and thin panel, all of which OLED boasts.

In order to establish mass production of OLED effectively, Sony will apply the expertise of ST-LCD such as design and manufacturing technology and procurement of TFT substrates for OLED. ST-LCD has acquired this expertise through the mass production of Low temperature poly-Si TFT LCD (L-LCD). The initial production will aim to supply panels with high picture quality for Sony mobile products and production capacity will start from 300,000 (at 2.0 inches) for the first stage.

Video applications for mobile products such as digital still cameras and mobile phones are set to expand, and OLED has been drawing attention as a next-generation key device to enable smaller and lighter mobile products with video functions. Sony will continue its efforts to improve the technology and enhance product development of OLED, aiming to offer a diverse product line-up in conjunction with current L-LCD.

*Super Top EmissionTM: Sony's original panel structure enabling higher quality color reproduction by multiple interference effect.