Category Archives: Displays

February 17, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — Ferro Corporation (NYSE:FOE) entered into joint venture (JV) agreement with China-based rare earth materials refiner Baotou Jin Meng Rare Earth Co. LTD. The JV, Ferro Jinmeng (Suzhou) Polishing Materials Co. Ltd, will manufacture and sell cerium oxide-based polishing materials for liquid crystal display (LCD) and electronics cover glass in China.

Baotou Jin Meng Rare Earth will provide access to high-quality rare earth compounds from its refining operations in Baotou. Ferro’s Surface Technologies business will provide its manufacturing technology, market and applications requirement knowledge.

Manufacturing will take place in Suzhou Office Park, where Ferro has state-of-the-art manufacturing facilities. Ferro expects manufacturing to begin in the second half of 2012.

Ferro will hold a majority ownership interest in the business, which will be registered in Suzhou, China. The joint venture project is subject to approval by regulatory authorities.

Ferro Corporation supplies technology-based performance materials for manufacturers. Internet: www.ferro.com.

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February 16, 2012 — Photovoltaic and flat panel display (FPD) production equipment maker Manz AG won a new order totalling around EUR 33 million for FPD component production tools.

The equipment for this order was orginally developed for the manufacture of crystalline silicon (c-Si) photovoltaics, and was converted to FPD manufacturing without significant technological changes, Manz reports.

Manz AG, headquartered in Reutlingen, Germany, (ISIN: DE000A0JQ5U3) is one of the world’s leading high-tech engineering firms. Founded in 1987, in recent years the company has grown from an automation specialist into a supplier of integrated production lines for crystalline solar cells and thin-film solar modules, as well as lines for manufacturing flat panel displays. Learn more at www.manz.com

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February 16, 2012 — JSR Corporation began operations at its new Research and Development Facility at JSR Micro Taiwan Co., Ltd., a wholly owned subsidiary of JSR. The facility bolsters R&D at JSR Micro Taiwan (JMW), which manufactures and sells liquid crystal display (LCD) materials in Taiwan.

Total investment in the facility, including construction fees and evaluation equipment, equals about ¥1.2 billion. Until this facility was completed, JMW provided technical support in the region through a 2007-built lab within its plant.

The 3,400m2 research facility includes a cleanroom, product evaluation equipment, and proximity to JMW’s manufacturing department. Its mission is to develop products consistently, respond rapidly to customer requests, and provide independent and local technical support to customers in newly developing fields.

JSR Group anticipates a rise in demand for LCD materials, following the construction of LCD factories in China by major Chinese, Korean, Japanese, and Taiwanese companies. Taiwan is both a major market for LCD panel manufacturing, and an emerging location for touch-panel materials and related display products.

The JSR Group built a similar R&D facility at JSR Micro Korea in July 2011, as part of an overarching plan for product development.

JSR Corporation produces synthetic rubbers, photo-chemistries and organic synthesis chemistries, and electronic materials, display materials and optical materials. Learn more at http://www.jsr.co.jp/jsr_e/index.shtml.

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February 14, 2012 — While the flat panel display (FPD) industry faces severe challenges, long-term supply demand models show a positive future, according to the NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly FPD Supply/Demand and Capital Spending Report.

Figure. Supply/demand balance in flat panel displays (000m2/quarter). Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly FPD Supply/Demand and Capital Spending Report.

FPD capital expenditures (capex) are in decline, even when factoring in investment for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) capacity, Barclays warns, calling it a "substantial contraction in FPD capex spending." But the industry will begin to right itself, thanks to the "cyclical nature of market forces," said Charles Annis, VP of manufacturing research at NPD DisplaySearch, stating that 2012 and 2013’s capacity expansion delays will converge with increasing demand, pushing the industry upward in the long run.

Good news isn’t on the doorstep, however. The H2 2012 recovery in FPD may be "somewhat more muted" than originally expected, Barclays reports, with Samsung’s China fab investments delayed, and the magnitude of the OLED investment by the Taiwanese and Japanese panel makers still uncertain. FPD makers have lost money for the past 6 consecutive quarters, its longest down turn since the industry began. This caused an expansion freeze across nearly all liquid crystal display (LCD) TV fabs. The overall FPD equipment market will suffer a severe recession in 2012, falling 63% from 2011, DisplaySearch notes. Also read: Top 10 LCD manufacturing trends of 2012

On the demand size, lower prices are stimulating consumer spending, particularly for large (50”+) TVs, DisplaySearch reports. Prices for large-sized liquid crystal display (LCD) panels stabilized in December 2011, thanks to better-than expected sales and decreased production, according to an IHS iSuppli LCD PriceTrak report.

The net effect will be a tightening of the supply/demand balance, particularly in 2013, when the glut ratio is forecast to fall well below 10% for the first time since Q2 2010. This will set off another crystal cycle of improved panel pricing, higher profitability, and increased investment. Spending on new active matrix organic light-emitting diode (AMOLED) production lines in particular will drive the FPD rebound in 2013.

Another technology, indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) LCDs, entered mass production in late 2011. Initially, IGZO will focus on LCD tablet and ultrabook display markets, but will likely see wider use in super-high-resolution large LCD TVs and some AMOLEDs. IGZO will grow continuously in the future.

The NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly FPD Supply/Demand and Capital Spending Report features in-depth analysis and critical data and detailed interpretation of market and technical trends. NPD DisplaySearch is a global market research and consulting firm specializing in the display supply chain, as well as the emerging photovoltaic/solar cell industries. Access reports at http://www.displaysearch.com/.

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February 14, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — In the company’s first use of micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS), Konica Minolta IJ Technologies Inc. developed the KM128SNG-MB high-precision inkjet printhead for manufacturing printed electronics.

KM128SNG-MB delivers 1 picoliter drop sizes. The use of MEMS technology enabled a 38mm-wide printhead with 128 nozzles in a row, as well as future nozzle integration by customer need. The ink path design, coupled with high-precision, semiconductor-style assembly technology, enable reportedly stable, high-precision printing with picoliter droplets, and ink resistance and optimization for low viscosity inks. It provides highly uniform thin film print thickness at the 100nm level. Konica Minolta’s proprietary DPN (Drive Per Nozzle) drive board and evaluation equipment are available.

KM128SNG-MB will be used to pattern organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays, deposit thin films for OLED lighting, and other industrial electronics manufacturing applications. It will be sold in sample quantities this spring.

Konica Minolta IJ Technologies, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Konica Minolta Holdings Inc. (TOKYO:4902), develops compact and high-performance inkjet printheads, high-value-added inks, complete inkjet print units and textile inkjet printers and peripheral equipments. For more information, please visit http://konicaminolta.com.

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February 13, 2012 — After 5 straight months of steep declines, prices for large-sized liquid crystal display (LCD) panels stabilized in December 2011, thanks to better-than expected sales and decreased production, according to an IHS iSuppli LCD PriceTrak report.

Global pricing for average large-sized LCD panels decreased by just 0.1% in December. This slight reduction indicates market pricing is steadying out compared to the 0.5% drop incurred in November and the runaway 3 or 4% contractions regularly seen during most of H2 2011.

The last time that panel pricing came close to December’s minimal level of decrease occurred during a two-month span during May and June 2011, when pricing retreated by 0.2% per month.

Figure. Large-size LCD panel prices.

December’s panel price also showed the smallest month-to-month change in all of the prior 12 months, as shown in the figure.

The overall pricing for large-sized LCD panels reflects the average taken among the three major markets for the panels, i.e., for televisions, monitors and notebooks. Large-sized panels are defined as those having a diagonal dimension of 10.4 to 55" and above.

Also read: Rapid LCD TV shift to 40"+ display panels signals production capacity boost

“The firming in panel prices in December can be attributed to lean inventories throughout the supply chain and to lower factory utilization rates, after suppliers were forced to cut production in order to control supply and stem financial losses,” said Sweta Dash, senior director for LCDs at IHS. “Sales also picked up in the United States and China, helping to further boost the market. Despite this, there will be little opportunity for suppliers to increase pricing even after the market has evened out, due to continuing uncertainties in the global economy. Chinese demand also is expected to decline after the Lunar New Year sales season in January, preventing prices from increasing.”

Large-sized LCD fab capacity utilization was running at 78% in December compared to 86% a year earlier. This reduced available supply, slowing the rate of price declines during the month.

Among the individual large-sized LCD applications, prices for television panels fell 0.2% in December compared to a 0.6% contraction in November. TV panel prices, however, are expected to remain flat in the first quarter of 2012.

Global television inventories in the worldwide retail channel reached a four-to five-week low in January after robust sales during the holidays in the United States and the Lunar New Year holiday in China. This development may cause some brands to build up inventory for future months as well as to stockpile supply for new model introductions. In particular, many new TV sizes — such as 39" and 50" panels — are expected to be introduced. Brands also are exploring 60-inch-and-larger sizes for the niche market, after the sizes proved successful during holiday sales.

Overall, TV panel inventories have declined to less than 25 days, compared to their usual 30-day average. Moving forward, LCD TV panel production will be lower in the first quarter because of the Lunar New Year holidays observed in the Asian manufacturing zones where the panels are made, as well as the shorter month in February.

In comparison to the TV space, panel pricing was down 0.1% in December for the monitor and notebook segments, which individually had fallen 0.2% the month before.

For the desktop PC monitor area, corporate demand remains weak because of prevailing economic caution in the business and enterprise world. Meanwhile, mobile products like tablets, ereaders and notebooks grabbed more sales among consumers than monitors did during the recent Christmas holiday sales. Overall growth in 2012 remains uncertain for the area.

In the notebook PC segment, the October flooding in Thailand is likely to impact production into early 2012, affecting panels being purchased for notebooks in the process. As a result, brands will continue to adjust inventory and pricing in channels, given the shaky outlook here for some time to come.

Increasingly, capacity for notebook and monitor panel production is being shared with that for TV.

Also, more large-sized LCD capacity is being shifted toward tablet applications due to the success of devices like Apple Inc.’s iPad, leading to adjustments in production throughout the chain.

Access the report, Large-LCD Panel Price Stabilized in December After Five Months of Decline, at http://www.isuppli.com/Display-Materials-and-Systems/Pages/Large-LCD-Panel-Price-Stabilized-in-December-After-Five-Months-of-Decline.aspx?PRX

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February 9, 2012 — FlexTech Alliance awarded its 2012 FLEXI Awards for flexible, printed electronics and displays industry to PARC and Thin Film Electronics, Western Michigan University, and the Georgia Institute of Technology (GA Tech). The awards cover innovation, R&D, and leadership in education, with an eye on commercial viability.

Awards were presented at the 11th Annual Flexible Electronics and Displays Conference held this week in Phoenix, AZ. Also read: 2012 Flexible Electronics & Displays: The future is flexible

Thin Film Electronics and PARC, a Xerox Company, were the combined recipients of the FLEXI Innovation Award. In 2011, the companies debuted a working prototype printed, rewritable memory addressed with complimentary organic circuits, the equivalent of CMOS circuitry. It combines Thin Film Electronic’s polymer-based memory technology with PARC’s transistor technology. The Thinfilm Addressable Memory is designed for commercial production. The work is a step toward integrating thin-film memory with other devices such as sensors, displays, power sources and antennas. The award was accepted by Thin Film Electronic’s VP, North America, Jennifer Ernst and PARC’s Ross Bringans, VP, Electronic Materials and Devices Laboratory. The award recognizes the most innovative flexible and/or printed electronics product announced in the last twelve months, based on product design & ingenuity, potential market adoption, and revenue generation.

The Center for the Advancement of Printed Electronics (CAPE) at Western Michigan University took the FLEXI R&D Award. CAPE is an application-driven research group comprised of PhDs in chemical, electrical, mechanical, paper and material engineering. For printing and deposition, CAPE offers a variety of roll-to-roll (R2R) and sheet techniques including: gravure, inkjet, screen, flexography, spin coating and various CVD techniques. Their research groups are also actively building analytic tools to model the printed electronics world. The award was accepted by Dr. Erika Rebrosova, Assistant Professor, Department of Paper Engineering and Imaging at Western Michigan University. The award celebrates world-class research, technologically outstanding and original product development, and new significant commercial potential for implementation into flexible or printed electronics.

The Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics (COPE) at the Georgia Institute of Technology received the Technology Leadership in Education Award for quality of education, practical applicability, number of students completing the course, and degree of focus on flexible, printed electronics. COPE offers several interdisciplinary courses in organic chemistry, materials and optoelectronics. More than 90 students have graduated from these programs and now work at some of the leading research institutions and photonics and electronics companies in the world. The award was accepted by Dr. Bernard Kippelen, Director of the Center for Organic Photonics and Electronics.

"These organizations are helping address technology gaps and drive the development of innovative products to the marketplace," said Michael Ciesinski, CEO of FlexTech Alliance.

The FlexTech Alliance is an organization, headquartered in North America, devoted to fostering the growth, profitability and success of the electronic display and flexible, printed electronics supply chain. Learn more at www.flextech.org.

February 8, 2012 — Flexible electronics, now being printed, represent the future of sensors, displays, power electronics, and lighting, according to experts gathered at the FlexTech Alliance 2012 Flexible Electronics & Displays Conference & Exhibition, taking place this week in Phoenix, AZ. 

Flexible, printed electronics will usher in the “Organic Age” predicted Dr. Jennifer Ricklin, chief technologist at the US Air Force Research Laboratory and the opening speaker of the 2012 FlexTech Alliance Flexible Electronics & Displays Conference & Exhibition. Dr. Ricklin stated, “Flex electronics is a revolution, following in line with previous electronics industry innovations. It is a disruptive technology that will create, change and disturb markets.” Ricklin further explained that disruptive technology takes decades to mature, and we are now entering the Organic Age — the coming together of nanotechnology, biology, and information technologies to enable multiple applications in commercial and defense markets.

Organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) are a common demonstration of organic electronics, with displays and lighting the most visual applications. Steven Abramson, president and CEO of Universal Display Corporation (UDC), noted that OLED displays will challenge the liquid crystal display (LCD) supremacy because they have fewer parts, a lower bill of materials, and a superior image. OLEDs, which just passed $1 billion in sales, are increasingly found in mobile formats, while large consumer electronics manufacturers are prototyping 50”+ OLED TVs.  Also read: AMOLED TV manufacturing status, price trends

Flexible organic photovoltaics (OPV) demonstrate how energy can be harvested from earth-abundant materials. Jim Buntaine of Konarka presented working examples of off-grid applications of flexible PV such as bus stations in San Francisco and green houses in the Middle East. The large off-grid population opens new markets for this technology.      

In many respects, flexible, printed electronics products will be enabled by advancements in materials technology. A primary example is the e-reader, which has become a huge market based on electronic ink developed and commercialized by E Ink. The e-reader occupies most of the top sales slots on Amazon.com. Future advances in this sector will include a color e-reader recently launched in China, large area signage, and stretchable substrates.

The printing industry is increasingly engaged with the electronics industry, and this merger of capabilities was explained by John McCooey of DuPont MCM and Kevin Manes of Mark Andy. Both noted that there are multiple printing mechanisms that will print electronic circuitry, with gravure and flexography as the most likely contenders. Manes indicated that the printing industry has significant experience in this area for graphics printing which needs to be adapted to functional printing. He commented that “it is possible to fool the eye, but you cannot fool electrons.”   

Can glass be made flexible?  That question was answered affirmatively by Corning Inc., which demonstrated very thin glass moving over rollers and through processing tools. Flexible glass offers significant advancements in optical transmission, dimensional stability, and prevention of water vapor and oxygen permeation; it’s a true “game-changer.” Corning shared a glimpse into the future with a showing of their video — A Day in Glass 2 — illustrating how flexible glass can improve quality of life.  Also read: Corning ultra-thin glass could enable new displays, roll-to-roll fab

David Barnes of Biz Witz offered product packaging and wearables as targets of flexible electronics opportunities. Furthermore, Barnes advised that sharing the risk in developing and deploying new technology, as well as collaboration, can propel an emerging industry to success.       

“Collaboration was a strong theme being echoed throughout the opening day presentations,” said Michael Ciesinski, CEO of FlexTech Alliance. “FlexTech Alliance has long been facilitating this collaboration by developing the flexible supply chain with an R&D funding program and providing forums to exchange ideas. The Flex Conference, now in its 11th year, has shown steady growth in the number of exhibitors and attendees as well as the diversity of products and technology being presented. This year’s conference has experienced record breaking attendance, up 15% over 2011, and a 30% increase in exhibiting companies.”

The FlexTech Alliance is an organization, headquartered in North America, devoted to fostering the growth, profitability and success of the electronic display and flexible, printed electronics supply chain. Learn more at www.flextech.org.

February 7, 2012 – BUSINESS WIRE — eMagin Corporation (NYSE Amex:EMAN), organic light-emitting diode (OLED) microdisplay and virtual imaging technologies company, was awarded a $1.12 million Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) contract from the United States Special Operations Command (USSOCOM). eMagin is tasked with optimizing its WUXGA OLED micro display for mass production.

The SBIR project aims to make the 1920 x 1200 pixel OLED microdisplay affordable for commercial and military applications, such as high-performance simulation and training, gaming, electronic viewfinders (EVFs) in digital cameras, entertainment, and more. The contract includes a $435k option. The base period of the SBIR project is scheduled for 7 months, beginning in February 2012, with an additional 6-month option period to further optimize the display.

Also read: OLED displays gain on LCDs

The WUXGA OLED microdisplay development was originally funded through the U.S. Army Telemedicine and Advanced Technology Research Center (TATRC) and the display is currently available as an engineering sample to commercial OEM customers and military contractors. It boasts the highest resolution produced on a full-color microdisplay. “With HD 1080P and higher resolution, extremely high-contrast (>10,000 to 1), and low power (<350 mW), the WUXGA microdisplay is our most advanced OLED product,” said Andrew Sculley, eMagin president and CEO.

eMagin integrates high-resolution OLED microdisplays with magnifying optics to deliver virtual images comparable to large-screen computer and television displays in portable, low-power, lightweight personal displays. More information about eMagin is available at www.emagin.com.

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Feburary 7, 2012 — The electronics industry will edge out coal-fired boilers as the biggest purchaser of ultrapure water systems and consumables in 2012, according to the McIlvaine report: Ultrapure Water World Markets. In addition to chip makers and coal power plants, manufacturers of flat panel displays (FPD) will round out the top-3 spenders.

Ultrapure water includes boiler feed water, semiconductor rinsing water, pharmaceutical water used in products injected into humans, and the slightly less pure water for soft drinks and cosmetics. The global revenues for ultra-pure water systems and consumables will top $4 million this year.

Table. Ultrapure Water System and Consumables Revenues. SOURCE: McIlvaine.
Industry $K of ultrapure water spending
Electronics $1,377,103
Coal-fired Power $1,105,033
Flat Panel Displays $566,031
Pharmaceutical $412,474
Industrial Power $334,482
Gas Turbines $69,360
Other Industries $184,684
Worldwide 2012 total $4,049,167

Users are typically in Asia, where coal-fired power is growing and the majority of electronics, including semiconductors, are manufactured. Nearly all the world’s flat panel displays are built in Asia.

Ultrapure water technologies include membrane filtration systems for reverse osmosis, degasification, microfiltration, and ultrafiltration, each using different apertures.

In 2012, continuous electrodeionization will erode conventional ion-exchange technology’s market share, as it improves purification. As the line sizes in chips are reduced, the purification requirements for rinse water rises proportionately.

Ultrapure water systems can be quite complex. For example, in a semiconductor plant there can be a whole train of purification equipment followed by reverse osmosis. The purified water is then sent to one of the etching processes. The concern that some contamination could occur in the piping dictates the installation of a membrane cartridge filter.

For more information on Ultrapure Water World Markets, visit http://www.mcilvainecompany.com/brochures/water.html#n029.