Phosphorescent materials are based on the addition of a heavy-metal to the emissive materails, and most (if not all?) commercial materials use Iridium. The price of this rare metal has hit an all-time high last week.

Towards the end of last year, the price of one oz of Iridium was $1,760. Last week it hit $6,000 – the price jumped over 300% in just three months. Experts explain that the price has risen due to a disruption in the supply in South Africa (which supplies around 80% of the global market) and strong demand from the electrical and electrochemical sector.

Iridium is used in many electronics applications – including temperature resistant crucibles used to grow synthetic crystals for electronics and telecommunications systems such as high-performance spark plugs, medical devices and iridium-coated electrodes for navel ballast systems. And – of course, PHOLED emitter materials. All electrical market applications together (including OLED materials) accounted for around 70,000 oz of Iridium in 2020 – about 31% of the total demand.

This sharp increase in Iridium price could effect Universal Display’s margins – and may result in an increase in material prices. UDC is bound in long-term agreements with its customers – but it could be that the price is tied to the price of Iridium, which could mean that the price of OLED panels may increase.

Source: https://www.oled-info.com/