Corning, maker of the protective Gorilla Glass which keeps scratches off many of today’s smartphone and tablet displays, has signed an agreement with Samsung’s Mobile Display division.

This agreement will lead to the establishment of a new venture based in Korea, which will manufacture specialty glass substrates (underlying layers) for the growing organic light emitting diode (OLED) device market.

By combining Corning’s Lotus Glass substrate technology and Samsung Mobile Display’s OLED display expertise, this new company will provide product solutions for current as well as future OLED technologies, ranging from smartphones and tablets through to large TVs. It will supply OLED backplane glass substrates for Samsung’s Galaxy range of smartphones as well as to the larger Korean display market.

According to a recent NPD DisplaySearch report, OLED technology advanced rapidly through the course of last year, setting a trend that is predicted to continue through this decade. The report estimates that OLED display revenues will exceed $20 billion (around 16% of the total display industry) by 2018.

“Samsung Mobile Display has led the global display industry by constantly seeking innovations and challenging current technologies’ limits. We are confident that combining our business powers with Corning’s technology leadership will deliver greater value to our clients,” said Soo In Cho, Samsung Mobile Display's president and CEO.

“Corning and Samsung have a long and successful partnership in the display industry, dating back nearly 40 years to the early days of television,” added Wendell P. Weeks, Corning's chairman, CEO and president. “The strength of our business relationship is built on Corning’s ability to develop and make high-technology glass with the key attributes that enable Samsung’s next-generation displays.”

“Together, we have led the evolution of displays – from the high-growth years of CRT, to our current successful business supplying world-leading substrates for today’s high-definition LCD TVs, and now to the launch of this important new venture to advance OLED technology,” Weeks stated.

 

In related news, the European Commission recently opened a formal investigation into the Korean tech giant.