LG Display Unveils FLiPP Technology to Eliminate Metal Masks in OLED Production
The new manufacturing process uses photolithography to boost brightness and lifespan while slashing power consumption.
LG Display has introduced a new manufacturing process called FLiPP (FMM-Less innovative Pixel Patterning) that removes the need for Fine Metal Masks in OLED production. Unveiled at the International Meeting on Information Display (IMID) 2026 in Busan, the technology replaces traditional metal stencils with a combination of photolithography and UV light etching.
The shift in production methodology yields immediate performance gains. According to LG Display, FLiPP-produced panels are 1.6 times brighter and possess a lifespan 2.4 times longer than those created using traditional FMM methods. Additionally, the process improves the aperture ratio—the area occupied by RGB pixels—by approximately 55%, which results in a 13% reduction in overall power consumption.
The End of the 'Stencil' Era
For years, OLED manufacturing has relied on Fine Metal Masks to deposit organic materials. However, these masks are expensive to produce and prone to "sagging" as panel sizes increase, which often leads to color defects and misalignment. To mitigate these physical limitations, manufacturers have historically been forced to divide large mother glass substrates into smaller pieces during processing.
FLiPP eliminates these constraints by utilizing a sequential coating and photolithography process. This allows LG to utilize single, whole 8.5th-generation mother glass substrates, removing the need to divide materials and streamlining the production pipeline. Choi Young-seok, CTO at LG Display, described the achievement as a "dream technology" made possible by combining the company's proprietary WOLED expertise and technical know-how.
Industry Implications
By removing the physical size and resolution limits inherent in metal masking, LG can theoretically scale high-quality OLED production across a vast range of form factors, from 1-inch wearables to 100-inch ultra-large televisions. This flexibility allows for higher productivity and lower costs, positioning the company to better compete in the premium markets for tablets, monitors, and VR/AR devices where brightness and longevity are critical.
What to Watch
While the core performance metrics and the shift to whole-substrate processing are confirmed, the industry will be watching for the first commercial products featuring FLiPP technology. The primary focus remains on whether these laboratory gains in brightness and lifespan translate consistently to mass-market consumer electronics and how quickly LG can transition its existing fabrication lines to the new photolithography-based standard.