134: Trip to South Korea 2

"I suspect Samsung wants to break through with their screen technology to a certain point, fully mastering the technology and patents to create a generational gap. This way, even if other manufacturers use their screens, they won't be able to use the screen as a selling point. Only then will they sell it externally."

Dr. Zhou nodded thoughtfully. Red Star had its own OLED screen technology, but unfortunately, China Star had been unable to fully master it until now. A batch of trial production screens was even inferior in visual quality to Samsung's screens from the year before last.

In the joint laboratory of China Star and Red Star, the Engineers had been working at high intensity, striving to master this technology as soon as possible and produce top-tier OLED screens belonging to China.

Although the head of China Star was optimistic about small-scale production within the next year, Red Star couldn't wait that long.

An OLED production line isn't something that can be started overnight. This kind of high-level automated production line requires a certain amount of time, even if China Star builds it regardless of cost.

Besides China Star, JD Factory was also conducting research on OLED screens, but production was expected to start in 2016. Red Star couldn't wait even longer.

Moreover, China Star held the patent license for Red Star's Pearl (diamond-like) arrangement. Chen Chen knew that JD Factory would definitely develop the Little Yellow Duck arrangement in the early stages, which would certainly be inferior to the Pearl arrangement in terms of display quality.

In his previous life, the development of domestic OLED screens was almost entirely affected by Samsung's Diamond arrangement. With Samsung holding that patent, Chinese manufacturers couldn't use it to produce screens with better display effects.

Domestic manufacturers were forced to use the Little Yellow Duck arrangement for a while. During that time, a certain manufacturer was even cursed to high heaven by netizens for using a screen with the Little Yellow Duck arrangement; the gap between it and Samsung's screens was just too large!

Of course, Chinese consumers are still very supportive of domestic products. The cursing wasn't because they used a domestic Little Yellow Duck arrangement screen, but... (I don't dare write it for fear of being reported).

Later, after several years of development and support from mobile phone manufacturers and the government, domestic manufacturers bypassed Samsung's Diamond arrangement through another method: the Diamond-like arrangement.

There was still a tiny gap in display quality compared to Samsung, but that gap was almost negligible.

The screen technology and craftsmanship the system gave to Chen Chen was exactly the Diamond-like arrangement technology used by domestic manufacturers in the future, which the Red Star Joint Laboratory named the Pearl arrangement.

If it were just the screen arrangement, China Star wouldn't have spent so long researching the technology without mastering it. Dr. Zhou knew that the key to this screen technology wasn't the new arrangement, but the new luminescent material!

That was the real problem stumping the joint laboratory.

In terms of cutting-edge research on OLED organic materials alone, China's level wasn't far behind foreign countries—it was even slightly ahead. However, there was a significant gap in material intellectual property rights and evaporation equipment.

Regarding upstream material companies, China could basically be self-sufficient. Companies like Yantai Xianhua, Zhejiang Huaxian, Gudu Ruilian, and Beijing Xiahe had accumulated certain technical expertise in different functional layer materials, such as the light extraction layer, electron blocking layer, and hole blocking layer.

As for evaporation equipment, it was almost entirely monopolized by Tokki and Sunic (this part is too difficult; the book defaults to China Star being able to handle it themselves without affecting production capacity).

China had a certain amount of technical reserves in emitting layer materials, so there was basically no need to worry about that. What stumped the joint laboratory was the luminescent functional material—specifically, the guest material used for doping with the host luminescent material.

Since the organic materials used as host materials cannot simultaneously satisfy high electron mobility and optimal luminous efficiency, a small amount of organic Fluorescent material is usually doped into the luminescent material to enhance the lifespan and efficiency of the host material.

The guest material in Red Star's screen technology used a completely new Phosphorescent material as the guest. It could significantly improve luminous efficiency. The biggest difference between this material and Fluorescent materials was the IQE; it could also use the triplet state to emit light, with a luminous efficiency four times that of the Fluorescent materials currently in use.

Dr. Zhou also knew that many of China's overt products and technologies were not behind those of foreign countries. However, many things couldn't withstand deep scrutiny. Once you delved into the basic materials, you would realize how large the gap between China and foreign countries really was.

As long as China Star, in conjunction with upstream companies, could solve this new material technology, China could build a high patent wall in this field. Any manufacturer developing OLED screens that wanted higher brightness and efficiency would not be able to bypass China.

Through cross-licensing, China could also obtain many advanced technical patents from foreign manufacturers.

"Hmm, Minister Tang indeed has his own insights. Once our own screens can be mass-produced, let alone Samsung, even Park Geun-hye wouldn't be able to make our Red Star people wait here."

"Haha, my procurement work will be much easier then," Tang Mang said with a laugh. "I just don't know when our own Chinese screen industry will truly develop."

Dr. Zhou stepped forward and patted Tang Mang's shoulder. "Minister Tang, as the procurement minister, you should understand President Chen's layout. Don't worry, China's entire industrial chain will develop. In the future, I'm afraid foreign manufacturers will even come to China to purchase components."

Tang Mang nodded. For Red Star's mobile phones, especially the shining series, priority was given to products from the Chinese industrial chain for many component purchases. He had heard President Chen mention something about the 863 program.

Tang Mang was very clear about high-level matters. He didn't ask what he shouldn't ask, and even if he knew something he shouldn't, he would pretend not to. Everything was done according to President Chen's instructions.

Currently, the lens modules from Tianguang Optical Instruments were being used in the red star 3. Although the sensors were still from Sony, Tang Mang knew that as long as investment and support for this optical instrument factory were increased, Red Star phones would one day use their own sensors!

Not only in batteries, screens, and back cover materials, but even including the phone's panel glass, President Chen was increasing cooperation with suppliers. From initial procurement to later customization and now joint development, President Chen's support for the domestic supply chain could be described as sparing no effort.

"Minister Tang, do you think these Koreans won't just leave us hanging for a few days, will they?"

"I still have a ton of things to do back home."

After spending a day in the hotel, Dr. Zhou was already a bit irritable. Was Samsung putting on such grand airs?

"I also have a lot of work back home. Since President Chen specifically asked us to come, we should try our best to get things done. We'll wait one more day. If there's still no word from Samsung tomorrow, we'll give them a nudge."