Samsung Acquires 53 US Patents from Merck for Quantum Dot Innovation

In recent years, Samsung has brought significant advancement to its display technologies. The Korean firm has recently bought 53 US patents related to quantum dot (QD) technology from Merck Patent. It may use these patents to improve its premium TV lineup’s display as well as accelerate the development of QD-electroluminescence (EL) technology.

Samsung may bring a major leap to its premium TVs with new quantum dot patents

According to a report from TheElec, Samsung acquired these patents from Merck Patent in two batches: 11 in February and 42 in July 2025. This is not the company’s first acquisition from the chemical giant. It previously purchased five US patents between 2022 and 2024. In addition to the US patents, the firm acquired 15 South Korean QD-related patents last month.

The publication says that some of the newly acquired US patents are for cadmium-free (non-cadmium) quantum dots. Such technology allows the display maker to reduce harmful cadmium to below environmental regulatory standards, which is a big advantage. Some Chinese TV makers still implement cadmium-based QDs in their QLED TVs.

Samsung may use these QD patents in its QLED and QD-OLED TVs. The former TV uses LEDs with QD sheets to improve color reproducibility, while the latter uses blue OLEDs with a QD layer to create colors. In the future, these patents could help develop QD-EL technology, a self-lighting display that emits light and color directly. Furthermore, the company may use these patents to compete with Chinese QLED TV brands.

Meanwhile, Samsung is developing a new QD sheet structure for its QLED TV in collaboration with Hansol Chemical. The new structure eliminates the expensive barrier films on both sides of the sheet, which could reduce manufacturing costs. However, the company will need a new way to protect the QD layer from moisture and oxygen — in the current QD sheets, barrier films perform this function.