Samsung Display Executive Vice President and Head of Large Display Business Son Dong-il / Courtesy of Samsung Display
Son Dong-il, executive vice president and head of the Large Display Business at Samsung Display, was awarded Korea’s Order of Science and Technology Merit on Tuesday for his contributions in commercializing the company’s quantum dot-OLED (QD-OLED) panels for TVs and monitors and improving their production yield to over 90 percent.
Son was awarded the Ungbi Medal of the Order of Science and Technology Merit during a ceremony marking Korea’s Science and ICT Day, hosted by the Ministry of Science and ICT in Seoul. The Ungbi Medal is the third-highest among the five classes of the order granted to individuals who have contributed to the advancement of the country’s science and technology.
Son is known as one of the pioneers in QD-OLED technology, a self-emissive display known for its picture quality. As an expert on display manufacturing process and materials with 29 years of experience, he played a critical role in the company's commercialization of the world’s first QD-OLED display, driving a paradigm shift in the global large display industry and enhancing Korea’s status in science and technology.
Son is credited with improving QD-OLED performance and manufacturability by introducing oxide thin-film transistor (TFT) technology. Compared with conventional materials, oxide TFTs offer faster electron mobility, enabling higher circuit integration and making them well suited for high-resolution displays.
By applying oxide TFT to the backplane, which drives pixel operation, Son improved power efficiency and manufacturability for large panels, significantly enhancing the performance and mass production of QD-OLED displays.
He is also recognized for developing the industry’s largest 8.5-generation printing equipment and process to pattern quantum dot layers. Son also developed a panel structure resistant to contaminants and proprietary organic materials, achieving 90 percent of production yield in just 11 months after the start of mass production.
Based on Son’s achievements, Samsung Display commercialized 55- and 65-inch QD-OLED TVs and a 34-inch QD-OLED monitor in 2021. The company has since expanded its lineup, contributing to market growth with a broader range of products and higher-resolution offerings.
Along with Son, a total of 36 individuals was awarded Order of Science and Technology Merit during Tuesday’s ceremony. Korea commemorates Science Day on April 21 and ICT Day on April 22. Since 2013, the government has been holding a joint ceremony to mark the two occasions.
Source: Korea Times News
