Sony Funnels $203M into OLED Technology

The investment will help develop technology for manufacturing OLED screens larger than the company's current 11-inch model.

Those who have been drooling over Sony’s 11-inch OLED TVs but waiting for something bigger to come along will be pleased to know that the company has been turning the gears to make it happen. Sony announced on Tuesday that it would pump 22 billion yen, about $203 million USD, into development of medium- and large-screen OLED displays.

The money will go to development of thin-film transistor and electroluminescent layer coatings at Sony’s Higashiura factory. Cash will begin flowing to the facilities during the second half of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2009, and Sony’s hopes to see developments implemented by the following fiscal year, which ends March 31, 2010. While not necessarily indicative of TV sizes, Sony’s official press release noted that the investment would go towards glass substrates of 23 inches by 28 inches.

Sony’s XEL-1 was the first OLED television on the market when it went on sale in December, placing Sony at the forefront of the OLED market. However, competitors such as Samsung have already demonstrated non-commercial tech demos of OLED screens spanning up to 31 inches.