On August 19, 2026, LG Display unveiled "FLiPP" (FMM-Less innovative Pixel Patterning) for the first time at IMID 2026. Rather than depositing RGB materials through a fine metal mask (FMM) with tiny perforations, this technology forms pixels using photolithography. The company claims to be the world's first to manufacture FMM-less OLEDs using a full, uncut 8.5-generation large glass substrate (mother glass), and states that compared to FMM-manufactured panels under identical conditions, it achieves 1.6 times the brightness, 2.4 times the lifespan, and a 13% reduction in power consumption.
However, this is an announcement of successful development and an exhibition demonstration—not an announcement of mass production or product launch. The significance of FLiPP lies in the fact that LG Display has demonstrated RGB pixel formation on high-generation substrates without cutting them, leveraging the equipment and expertise it holds for large Tandem WOLED production. FMM-less approaches already have precedents, and the real test in the mass-production race will be whether yield and processing speed can be maintained on large substrates.
Why removing the metal mask makes large RGB OLEDs easier to produce
In the conventional FMM process, red, green, and blue organic materials are deposited sequentially using a perforated metal plate as a stencil. A dedicated FMM must be prepared for each panel size and resolution, and as panels grow larger, the mask itself can sag under its own weight at the center. Misalignment can lead to defects where unintended colors mix.
FLiPP applies RGB materials in sequence, fixes them in their designated positions, and then removes unnecessary portions using UV-based photolithography. This is an attempt to shift from a process where pixel placement accuracy depends on mask dimensions and sagging, to one where the pattern is cut out after the material has already been fixed in place. Alongside improving the performance of light-emitting materials, LG Display is attempting to solve the manufacturing constraints of precisely arranging large-area RGB pixels.
RGB OLEDs create color by combining red, green, and blue subpixels. According to LG Display's Form 20-F, the company has mass-produced WRGB technology—which layers RGB color filters over white OLED—to avoid the technical challenges of scaling up RGB methods for large TVs. FLiPP's RGB OLED should not be conflated with the Tandem WOLED TV panels currently on the market.
A 55% wider aperture ratio changes the trade-off between brightness and lifespan
LG Display explains that FLiPP improves the aperture ratio—the proportion of the screen occupied by RGB pixels—by approximately 55%. This figure does not mean the aperture ratio itself reached 55%, nor that it increased by 55 percentage points. The company states that compared to FMM-manufactured panels under identical conditions, it achieves 1.6 times the brightness, 2.4 times the lifespan, and a 13% reduction in power consumption.
A wider aperture ratio allows the same screen brightness to be distributed over a larger light-emitting area. It also opens the possibility of designing for higher brightness under the same driving conditions. JDI has explained that its FMM-less eLEAP technology achieves an aperture ratio exceeding 60%, more than doubling the light-emitting area compared to conventional OLEDs. Based on this, JDI presents two possible use cases: tripling lifespan at the same brightness, or doubling brightness while maintaining a lifespan equivalent to conventional OLEDs. Similarly, FLiPP's three comparison figures are not independent performance metrics separated from pixel design and driving conditions.
The measurement conditions remain unclear. LG Display has not disclosed the dimensions and resolution of the comparison panel, the light-emitting materials, or the number of layers stacked, nor has it published the absolute brightness, the definition and duration used for lifespan, or the measurement conditions for power consumption. It is not yet at the stage where these figures can be directly translated into the display performance of commercial products.
What the 64% figure means for using an 8.5-generation substrate whole
LG Display cites 2,200×2,500mm as an example of an 8th-generation-class large glass substrate, explaining that in the conventional FMM process, size constraints related to the deposition "stick" require cutting the substrate in half for processing. FLiPP handles the 8.5-generation large glass substrate as a single, uncut piece. Compared to producing notebook PC OLEDs of the same size using FMM or an alternative FMM-less method that requires a split substrate, the company states that glass substrate utilization efficiency improves by up to 64%.
The value of a high-generation substrate does not lie in the inch size of the finished panel itself. Rather, production efficiency depends on how many panels can be cut from a single large substrate. That said, this 64% figure refers specifically to glass substrate utilization efficiency—it is not an improvement rate for total cost (which includes yield, cycle time, equipment depreciation, and material costs), nor is it a reduction rate for product pricing.
The company explains that FLiPP leverages its existing large-scale Tandem WOLED production infrastructure and technical expertise. Tandem WOLED is a technology used for large TVs and monitors that stacks RGB light-emitting layers to produce white light. While being able to use existing equipment infrastructure changes the conditions for bringing a new pixel-forming method to high-generation substrates, actual mass-production capability cannot be judged until yield rates and process times are disclosed.
Ahead of the FMM-less pack, but mass-production conditions remain unfilled
There is precedent for forming pixels via photolithography without an FMM: JDI's eLEAP. Visionox also announced on April 15, 2026, that it had installed its first exposure equipment on an 8.6-generation AMOLED line supporting ViP. The designed capacity is 32,000 sheets per month, with large glass substrates measuring 2,290×2,620mm—but at the time of the announcement, the line was still at the stage of equipment installation and process startup.
Therefore, LG Display's claim of being "world's first" should be understood within the specific scope the company describes: manufacturing FMM-less OLEDs using a full, uncut 8.5-generation large glass substrate. It does not mean the company was first to introduce FMM-less OLEDs in general. The axis of competition is shifting from introducing photolithography itself to achieving stable mass production on high-generation substrates.
LG Display has indicated a theoretical range of application spanning 1 to 100 inches, including VR/AR, with plans to first target IT applications such as tablets and monitors before expanding into wearables and ultra-large TVs. However, the company has not disclosed a mass-production start date or named any adopting customers. Launch products, pricing, and capital investment amounts also remain unannounced. Whether FLiPP actually expands the options available for large RGB OLEDs can only be confirmed once customer-qualified panels demonstrate absolute performance, yield, and processing speed.