Merck Korea, the Korean subsidiary of Merck (CEO Dr. Woo-Kyu Kim), will participate in the 'International Meeting of Information Display (IMID) 2022' held at BEXCO in Busan and hold various sessions until the 26th.

At this year's Display Conference, Michael Heckmeier, Senior Vice President and Head of Display Solutions at Merck, gave a keynote speech on the topic of "Advancing Displays, Changing Lives" and then presented the Merck Awards to researchers who contributed to the advancement of display technology.

The Merck Award was established in 2004, the 100th anniversary of Merck's liquid crystal research, at IMID hosted by the Korean Information Display Society (KIDS) to honor outstanding scientific achievements in display technology. In 2006, it was expanded to include the Merck Young Scientist Award, and then to the Liquid Crystal Discovery Award. Since the 10th Merck Awards ceremony in 2013, which marked the 125th anniversary, we have been working with KIDS to change the award details and prizes from paper awards to academic awards, creating a turning point for the development of the Korean display industry.

The 19th Merck Award went to Professor Yong-Young Noh of Pohang University of Science and Technology. He received the award for his research contributions to the advancement of backplane TFT technology for OLED displays.

Professor Noh Yong-young has taken on the challenge of developing high-performance p-type transistors, which had previously been considered a technical challenge due to their low hole mobility. He has now achieved the world's first high-performance p-type TFTs on the level of LTPS using tin-based metal halide perovskites and copper iodide metal halides, securing the core technology for this. Further development of this technology is expected to enable the commercialization of backplane p-type TFTs and driver circuits for high-performance OLED displays, replacing existing LTPS TFTs.

The winner of the Merck Young Scientist Award was Professor Seok-Joo Kang of Sogang University for his development of “deep learning-based image generation technology for virtual reality wearable displays.”

In virtual reality wearable display systems, high-resolution image generation is required, but problems such as limited bandwidth and high energy consumption exist. Based on a new algorithm and hardware structure that considers perceptual image quality, a lightweight integrated deep learning system was proposed. The related source technology was developed for the first time in the world into a commercially viable system in cooperation with the display industry, and for over 10 years, the excellent research capabilities and results related to display systems and artificial intelligence technology have been published in 73 SCI-level international academic journals, including top journals in the field such as IEEE Transactions on Image Processing. In addition, the company has applied for 42 patents and its achievements have been recognized externally, with its papers being cited over 1,700 times.

At the Merck booth, visitors can explore Merck's diverse materials portfolio, which can help display companies accelerate digital living. Specifically, visitors will find flexible hard coatings, which cover the top layer of flexible displays and provide both flexibility and robustness; thin film layers that impart flexibility to displays and enhance the durability of OLED layers vulnerable to oxygen and moisture; high-performance, high-purity OLED materials for all functional layers; and a variety of QD materials.

"Merck Science Connect," a platform for sharing Merck's story, will be held at BEXCO in Busan, Room 313 (Room F), starting at 4:00 PM on the 25th. Now in its fourth year, Merck Science Connect will explore Merck's global strategy, as well as its products, process perspectives, and sustainability across various sectors.

Even if you can't attend in person, you can watch the event online for a limited time after the International Information Display Conference concludes on the 26th. Sessions will cover topics such as: 1) Sustainable goals and strategies for display companies; 2) How creative products can create sustainable work environments and energy-saving displays; 3) Sustainability in production; and 4) How to create sustainability through printing technology required for display production (Professor Yong-Young Noh of Pohang University of Science and Technology).

A variety of stories will also unfold at Merck's booth. The inaugural "Merck Booth Talk" will run until August 26th, with eight speakers sharing their insights on Merck's diversity and flexibility. Online participation is also possible on the Korean Merck YouTube channel, and sessions will include: △Merck's flexible thinking △New technology hard coating materials △Sustainability △Practical sustainability △About purity △Flexible thinking, etc.

Dr. Woo-Kyu Kim, representative of Merck Korea, said, “As Merck celebrates its 33rd anniversary in Korea, the electronics industry, led by displays and semiconductors, is rapidly developing worldwide as demand for digital devices and technologies increases.” He added, “Merck will strive to advance science not only in business but also in new areas such as healthcare and life sciences through collaboration with the scientific community, and we will share these insights through Merck Booth Talks and other events.”