Samsung Display’s QD-OLED won the “IR52 Jang Young-shil Award.” The award is given to Korean companies and researchers at Korean technology research institutes that led industrial technology innovation by developing new technologies and products. The QD-OLED display has won numerous awards since its launch. The IR52 Jang Young-shil Award is yet another recognition of the QD-OLED as a display that offers the best image quality.

What Is the “IR52 Jang Young-shil Award”?

“IR” stands for industrial research, meaning that the award seeks to develop research achievements of companies, while “52” signifies that one product is awarded every week for 52 weeks in a year. Established in 1991, the award is organized by the Ministry of Science and ICT, carried out jointly by the Korea Industrial Technology Association and The Maeil Business Newspaper, being recognized as a prestigious industrial technology award. 

QD-OLED Honored In the Ninth Week of 2003 by the Jang Young-shil Award!

“While existing displays inevitably lose light as it passes the color filter and makes it difficult to adjust the direction of light, the QD-OLED display emits light through quantum dots, which emit light simultaneously in 360 degrees,” states the official website of the IR52 Jang Young-shil Award to explain how the QD-OLED works. In praise of the display, the deion on the website also adds, “It offers the best performance in terms of key display specifications such as brightness, color reproduction, and viewing angle.” 

The QD-OLED has been recognized as an outstanding new technology product and an achievement in technological innovation, thanks to the most accurate color reproduction among all commercial displays, a high level of brightness, and a broad viewing angle. 

Having been involved in the development of the QD-OLED, Mr. Kim Jang-soo, Kim Jong-woo, and Kim Kang-nam were given the honor of receiving the award. Scroll down to hear from the winners about what they think of winning this award. 

Interview #1 of the Winner of the Jang Young-shil Award

Q. How would you describe the significance of your winning the Jang Young-shil Award? 

First and foremost, I was happy that the technical excellence and market competitiveness of the QD-OLED display were publicly recognized. This is probably the biggest honor given to me throughout my extensive career as an engineer. At the same time, I feel humbled to receive this award as I know that this technology is the outcome of years of collective efforts made by many people within my organization. Once this article is published, I want to share it with my family to let them see the efforts I have made, and I will treasure the hard copy of the article.

Q. What first came to your mind when you learned that you had won the award?

I had a flashback of all the early years of developing this technology. I was in charge of that technology development, and countless people asked if this was really feasible, which goes to show that it was a daunting challenge that required us to create something from scratch. Even within the team, we had some skepticism about whether this technology could be successfully commercialized, and I remember trying to encourage the team members in every meeting.

Every time we encountered a difficult issue in the process of developing the technology, my team members placed their trust in me and worked hard together to develop new ideas to address the issue. Most of all, we owe the successful development of the technology to the top management, who believed in us and provided support until the very end. Even when we were struggling to address the remaining issues as we inched closer to mass production of the display. Looking back, I realize we encountered multiple crises throughout the journey, and it feels like such a miracle that we achieved what we did. I sometimes wonder if I would be able to commit myself again with that much passion if I were to go back in time.

Q. What do you think of the outlook of QD-OLED? 

The QD-OLED display is not only well received in the TV market, but also in the monitor market. If we continue to innovate without being complacent to maintain our competitive edge, I believe the QD-OLED can bring back the glory that large LCDs used to enjoy in the past. 

Q. What do you want to achieve next? 

To use an analogy, the QD-OLED technology has grown into a healthy tree.  My hope is to develop and grow it into a healthy forest to build a stable and promising future for large displays. At a personal level, I have been working tirelessly to achieve our goal as the head of the PA Team, but from now on, I want to work towards becoming a respected leader who can connect more deeply with the team members so we can achieve our dreams and vision together.

Interview #2 of the Winner of the Jang Young-shil Award

Q. What about the QD-OLED display was recognized as an outstanding new technology? 

I believe that the Jang Young-shil Award was given in recognition of the differentiated image quality, which has already been recognized through numerous exhibits and by many prestigious evaluation organizations, and the manufacturing technology that allowed us to secure the ability to mass-produce early. We improved the brightness to closely match the real-life brightness of the subject, through the “QD emitting layer” that was built through our proprietary inkjet printing technology. I also think it was highly regarded that we were able to secure stable production capacity within a short period of time.

Q. What first came to your mind when you learned that you won the award?

From the researchers and developers who worked tirelessly to bring this new display to life, to the manufacturing and technology executives and employees who committed themselves to achieving the target yield rate early, I thought everyone’s hard work was well worth it. It took five full years to develop this new technology — starting from the basic research by about 30 developers, which then kickstarted a full R&D process and expansion into the QD business, until we had the shipping ceremony in November 2021. I believe the recent award was the culmination of everyone’s dedication over the last five years.
 

Q. The QD-OLED display was finally launched in Korea as well. What do you hope to see going forward, or what do you want to achieve next?

I hope that the newly launched QD-OLED will open new doors in the market to create a boom for the product, and I hope to carry on our heritage as the household name for displays. Korea’s display industry is experiencing a challenging time, and I hope that the QD-OLED display will expand the horizons of the display market and gradually increase its market share by securing an unparalleled competitive edge in performance. 

Interview #3 of the Winner of the Jang Young-shil Award

Q. Can you briefly tell us about the most difficult moment in the process of developing the QD-OLED and how you overcame it?

I began participating in the QD-OLED development process when I joined the project team in March 2018. My job in the project team was different from my previous job in every possible way, but I felt more excited than worried because I was very curious about the world’s first technology that we were attempting to develop. The development process was not always smooth sailing. Starting with the reliability characteristics of the unit device that fit the requirements for the operation of the display, we carried out validation and development step-by-step, but when we built panels, we kept seeing defects in the products that we did not expect. We had countless challenges, but we never gave up and focused on our research, eventually finding the solution to the issues.
 

Q. What first came to your mind when you learned that you won the award?

I felt grateful. Over the years, countless people have put in their hard work and an incredible amount of time, and I am so honored and grateful to receive the award that is the culmination of everyone’s hard work. I believe the award belongs to everyone who contributed to the development of the product. At a personal level, my family and friends shared so many encouraging words with me because this award is given by a government agency and reported in the news. I feel proud and honored to be a father, husband, and son that my family can be proud of. The fact that I am part of developing a technology that can serve our society gives me great motivation, and I feel even more grateful to be able to work with the best colleagues. 

Q. What do you want to achieve next?

A variety of QD-OLED product lines are slated for launch this year, including 55, 65, and 77-inch TVs and monitors. Expectations are high because we have received high praise for the quality of product from many domestic and overseas media outlets. I would like to continue research and development that can contribute to the development and growth of the company. 

The recent Jang Young-shil Award once again recognized Samsung Display’s QD-OLED display as the product with the best image quality. Research and development for this new display technology to build the foundation for mass production required years of hard work. Continue to keep an eye out for the future of innovative displays that Samsung Display will continue to build as a leading global display company that boasts unparalleled technologies that create a super-gap with its competitors.