Samtel to make OLED displays for cellphones

Samtel Industries will start manufacturing organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays for mobile phones by 2008.

Satish Kaura, chief managing director, Samtel, said the product, for which the prototype is ready, will take some more time before it is ready for manufacturing.

The project to develop OLED displays has been undertaken as a collective endeavour by Samtel Industries, IIT Kanpur and the state's Department of Science and Technology. Hailed as an ideal format for development of new technology in the country, the project is likely to cost about Rs 16 crore.

The group has already developed OLED screens for cellphones. Further, it has an in-built light and requires lesser energy and larger battery life. Samtel sources claim that these will likely replace LCD screens.

Professor Deepak Gupta informed journalists that OLEDs are beginning to be used as full colour displays in applications such as digital cameras and mobile phones.

"The prototype of OLED was developed with the help of Korean scientists, who were informed about the concept and the requirement. The designing was done by them. The prototype costs Rs 3 crore. Setting up of a manufacturing unit may cost Rs 150 crore," said Gupta.