Applied Materials has seen orders for OLED equipment increasing, especially from South Korea-based panel makers, and its second-quarter 2016 order value for the display equipment segment is estimated at US$700 million, 5.8 times the US$120 million recorded for second-quarter 2015, according to Applied Materials' greater China account general manager Kuo Yi-tze for AKT Display Business Unit.

South Korea-based panel makers take significantly lead in OLED technology and production and China-based fellow makers are making efforts to catch up, Kuo said.

Demand for OLED panels mainly comes from growing application to smartphones and smart watches, with global shipments of OLED panels used in mobile devices to increase from 353 million units in 2016 to 799 million units in 2020, Kuo indicated.

In addition, global shipments of OLED panels used in automotive displays will increase from 134 million units in 2016 to 176 million units in 2020, with a CAGR of 9% in unit shipments and 12% in area shipments during 2016-2020 Kuo noted.