Whereas the current display industry has developed its technology and products centered on scaling-up to large sizes and realizing high-resolution images, the future industry development direction is expected to focus on flexible displays. Compared to the conventional glass substrate, flexible displays are thinner, lighter, and less prone to break. With such properties, it is expected that flexible electronic devices will be able to replace the existing market as well as create new ones.

The flexible (thin glass, metal thin film, plastic) substrate is gaining importance as a key component that determines the processability, performance, reliability, and price of flexible displays. To this end, IHS Electronics & Media publishes a Flexible Display Substrate Technology report to analyze the technology development, industrial conditions, and R&D trends of flexible substrates.

According to the report, the flexible substrate market is forecast to grow to $506.7 million by 2020 from a $2.5 million in 2013. The OLED display, another market that can be created by applying the flexible substrate technology, is expected to make up 91 percent of the overall market.