UDC acquires OLED assets from Merck KGaA
Universal Display Corporation has acquired the Phosphorescent OLED Emitter IP assets of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
Representing more than 15 years of R&D, this portfolio has an average lifetime of 10 years and includes over 550 issued and pending patents around the world in 172 patent families.
In addition, the companies entered into a new multi-year collaboration agreement that pertains to UDC’s green and yellow phosphorescent emitters and Merck KGaA transport and host materials to create advanced PHOLED stacks.
“We are pleased to complement and boost our vast global IP framework with Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s phosphorescent emitter patents and announce the extension and expansion of our OLED materials partnership,” said Steven V. Abramson, President and CEO of Universal Display, in a press release. “This strategic acquisition enhances our robust position in the OLED ecosystem. As the pioneer and leader in phosphorescent OLED technologies and materials, we are well situated to leverage Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany’s discoveries into our extensive research and intellectual property portfolios.”
“We believe that our triplet emitter IP and know-how seamlessly fits into UDC’s comprehensive intellectual property library and that these assets will be well maximized in their research and development programs. The new partnership with UDC is a strategic move towards accelerating the growth of our OLED business. As a leading OLED material company, having access to UDC’s leading-edge emitters will benefit our development of transport materials and most importantly boost our capabilities to develop new host materials,” says Dr. Gottfried Wastlbauer, Head of Global Marketing of Display Solutions at the Electronics business of Merck KGaA, Darmstadt, Germany.
