Category Archives: Displays

This article was originally published in the DisplaySearch Monitor, January 2012, by Charles Annis, DisplaySearch.

Annis shares 10 trends in liquid crystal display (LCD) manufacturing, covering LTPS, IGZO, alignment technologies, metallization techs, 2µm resolution lithograhy patterns on Gen 8 glass, and more.

The LCD industry faces heady challenges. Pure play LCD makers have lost money 5 quarters in a row and it looks to continue. The equipment market is expected to drop a record 63% in 2012. Fab utilization remains stuck in the 70% range. However, LCD makers have continuously improved manufacturing technology, and are applying revolutionary new technologies. Adoption of new manufacturing technology in 2012 will make the highest-quality, lowest-cost flat panel displays (FPDs) available to consumers worldwide, especially in smartphones and tablets.

Figure 1. Top 10 LCD manufacturing technology trends of 2012. Source: DisplaySearch TFT LCD Process Roadmap Report.

1: Most LCDs are produced using amorphous silicon thin-film transitors (a-Si TFTs). Although a-Si suffers from poor mobility, it is a low-cost semiconductor material acceptable for many applications. However, as FPD performance has continued to increase over time, the need for higher mobility backplanes has grown. The main reasons for this are to reduce TFT size for super-high resolution small/medium LCDs to increase transmission and battery life as well as to provide sufficient current to drive active-matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) devices.

Low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) has been in mass production for more than 10 years, a great technology in need of appropriate applications. High-resolution LCDs and AMOLEDs are a substantial growth opportunity for LTPS. In 2012, LTPS manufacturing will take off as SMD, Sharp, and Toshiba all ramp up new Gen 5.5/6 LTPS fabs and as SMD begins production on its Gen 8 LTPS pilot line.

2: Indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) offers mobility performance somewhere between a-Si and LTPS. Although it is a less mature technology than LTPS, IGZO processes are quite similar to conventional a-Si, with only a marginal capital cost add (around 20%) compared to 2X the additional capital required to produce high-performance LTPS panels. Sharp started IGZO pilot production late in 2011, and LG Display and Samsung are expected to follow in 2012.

Figure 2. Equipment spending by technology. Source: DisplaySearch Q4’11 Quarterly FPD Supply/Demand and Capital Spending Report.

3: Polymer stabilized alignment (PSA) and optical alignment (OA) are the two main technologies to improve performance of the alignment process. Both simultaneously improve image quality — mainly by improving contrast — and lower costs by improving transmission. Production of OA will increase significantly in 2012, as Sharp applies it to FFS-type panels and licenses its VA technology to other manufacturers.

4: Advanced resolution exposure refers to the pattering of very fine features in the FPD array. Conventional photolithography for Gen 5 and larger substrates has historically been limited to 3µm at best. In 2012, leading FPD lithography tool vendors are expected to release next-generation tools that enable 2µm resolution on glass sizes up to Gen 8. Market forces are driving the push to higher resolution pattering:

  • Increase aperture ratio for super high resolution displays
  • Complicated AMOLED pixel designs
  • Narrow pixel electrode patterns for PSA and FFS to increase transmission 
  • Novel pixel designs such as short channel TFTs

5: The most important trend in liquid crystal is the continuous shift towards FFS as the LC mode of choice for mobile applications, particularly for those that adopt touch. FFS, only a few years ago, seemed like it would become a niche technology compared to conventional IPS and VA. However, because it offers superior transmission, off-axis viewing, and resistance to touch mura, FFS continues to gain share not only in mobile applications but also in some large-area applications.

Figure 3. LC Mode by TFT Capacity (000 m²). Source: DisplaySearch TFT LCD Process Roadmap Report.

6: Super high aperture (SHA) ratio pixel designs typically use an extra organic planarization layer in the array process to planarize the device and increase the vertical gap between the pixel ITO and bus lines. This reduces unwanted capacitive coupling and enables the pixel electrode to be extended over the gate and data lines without causing cross-talk or affecting image quality — thus increasing aperture area. Higher transmission can lower backlight costs by reducing LEDs, brightness enhancement film, etc. Despite a yield trade-off and additional costs to implement, SHA has grown rapidly since 2009. It is now commonly applied to higher resolution mobile products and also, in many cases, to large-area LCDs. About 25% of all LCDs now adopt an SHA process.

7: Low resistance metallization now refers to copper. Cu has the lowest resistivity of any of the other bus line metals that have been used historically to manufacture LCDs, with several benefits:

  • Thinner gate and source line, which can help increase transmission
  • Reduces RC delay issues
  • May reduce costs by eliminating dual-scan driver drivers 
  • The major trade-off is reduced yield. LG Display implemented it for large-scale commercial production in Gen 6.

Its IP position has made it difficult for other manufacturers to adopt. Regardless, Cu adoption has grown rapidly since 2009 as various alternatives have been developed. Several top-tier LCD manufacturers are now using copper, though some are still in the development stage.

8: Color filter on array (COA) is a technology that was developed many years ago, but has been widely adopted only since 2009. COA moves the RGB color patterns from the opposite glass to the array glass, with several benefits:

  • Improved contrast
  • Increased aperture ratio (the thick organic color resist enables the same sort of high aperture pixel designs as SHA by allowing the pixel electrode to be extended over the bus line)
  • Reduced BM width
  • Reduced alignment errors between array and opposite glass issue
  • Possible improvement in cell process curing performance 
  • Like many new manufacturing technologies, the trade-off in implementing is yield. In 2011, LG Display became the third top-tier manufacturer to implement COA in mass production of large-area LCDs, and further growth is expected in 2012.
Figure 4. COA concept. Source: DisplaySearch TFT LCD Process Roadmap Report, and Samsung.

9: The key trend related to glass is no longer size increases — it is reducing thickness. Historically, glass substrate size growth was the most important trend in LCD manufacturing. Through Gen 8, a new glass size was introduced every one or two years. However, this trend has slowed significantly due to endemic over-supply and high capital costs of larger fabs. Motivations to adopt thin glass vary by small/medium and large-area applications. For small/medium, reducing thickness enables a thinner, lighter LCD required for mobile applications. For large-area LCDs, reducing glass costs has been an important target for panel makers. In 2012, 0.4mm glass for =Gen 5 and 0.5mm for +Gen 8 is expected to grow dramatically.

10: Black matrix (BM) width reduction has been an ongoing trend for several years and is forecast to continue in 2012. The main benefit is an improvement in transmission by increasing the pixel aperture area. Here are some examples:

  • 25µm BM width = 60% aperture
  • 15µm BM width = 75% aperture 
  • 10µm BM width = 80% aperture
Figure 5. BM width reduction. Source: DisplaySearch TFT LCD Process Roadmap Report.

An increase in brightness is the most common target for manufacturing technologies. This is not due to panel makers trying to increase device brightness, but because brightness can be traded off to lower costs or power consumption. Resolution is the second most common target, mainly because both smartphones and tablets are rapidly driving the mobile market. These applications are also pushing reduced weight and thickness. Also read: Mobile drives display materials development in 2012  

More information about current LCD manufacturing trends can be found in the newly released TFT LCD Process Roadmap Report. The report focuses on key current industry trends such as LTPS, oxide semiconductors like IGZO, super high resolution displays, FFS, optical alignment, and other technologies related to smart phones, tablets, and Apple, as well as large-area displays for TVs and other applications. Learn more about the report from DisplaySearch LLC, an NPD Group Company, at www.displaysearch.com.

Visit the new Displays Manufacturing Channel on ElectroIQ.com!

January 27, 2012 — While Apple’s release of the iPhone 4S in Q4 2011 "unleashed tremendous pent-up demand" from consumers, Samsung used its broad range of smartphones to take the top spot in smartphone brands, reports Wayne Lam, senior analyst, wireless communications at IHS in an IHS iSuppli News Flash.

Also read: Analyst: $10B more semi capex thanks to tablets, smartphones
 
2011 is Samsung’s first turn at the number 1 spot in smartphone maker rankings. Global smartphone shipments grew 54% annually to reach a record 155 million units in the fourth quarter of 2011, added Alex Spektor, associate director of research firm Strategy Analytics.

Table 1. Shipments of smartphone companies that have reported results for the fourth quarter of 2011 to date. Other major companies that haven’t reported yet are not included. Rankings by shipments in millions of units. SOURCE: IHS iSuppli January 2012.

  Company Q3 ’11 Shipments (Millions) Q4 ’11 Shipments (Millions) Q3 ’11/Q4 ’11 Quarterly Growth 2010 Shipments (Millions) 2011 Shipments (Millions) 2010/2011 Annual Growth
1 Apple 17                37 117%                47                93 96%
2 Samsung 28                36 28%                25                95 278%
3 Nokia 17                20 17%              100                77 -23%
4 Sony Ericsson 6                  6 -5%                13                20 55%
5 Motorola 5                  5 10%                14                19 35%

 

 Table 2. Global smartphone vendor shipments and market share in Q4 2011. SOURCE: Strategy Analytics January 2012. (Millions of Units)

   

 Q4 ’10     2010     Q4 ’11     2011
Samsung 10.7     23.9     36.5     97.4
Apple 16.2     47.5     37.0     93.0
Nokia 28.3     100.1     19.6     77.3
Others 45.6     128.0     61.9     220.8
Total 100.7     299.5     155.0     488.5
                     
Global smartphone vendor
market share %		 Q4 ’10     2010     Q4 ’11     2011
Samsung 10.6%     8.0%     23.5%     19.9%
Apple 16.1%     15.9%     23.9%     19.0%
Nokia 28.1%     33.4%     12.6%     15.8%
Others 45.2%     42.7%     39.9%     45.2%
Total 100.0%     100.0%     100.0%     100.0%
                     
Total growth year-over-Year % 86.8%     71.4%     53.9%     63.1%

Apple shipped 37 million smartphones worldwide in Q4, up 117% from 17 million in Q3 — the strongest sequential quarterly growth among the top 5 smartphone brands, IHS reports. Samsung shipped 36 million smartphones in the same quarter. While this put Apple back on top (Apple also shipped the most smartphones in Q2), Samsung won the year. Samsung shipped 95 million smartphones in 2011, up 278% from the prior year.
 
Samsung offers "a complete line of smartphone products," for various price points and consumer requirements, Lam said, noting that this strategy carried Samsung past Nokia and Apple. Apple has worked a successful strategy with its iPhone as well: distribution of the iPhone family expanded across numerous countries, dozens of operators and multiple price points in 2011, Strategy Analytics reported.

While Samsung shipped the most smartphones, Apple bought the most semiconductors in 2011, edging out Samsung thanks in part to Apple’s iPad tablet business. "Apple must soon make a decision on whether to jettison Samsung as one of its principal suppliers for chips, screens, and other components. While Samsung has the technology to produce Apple’s components at a high level of efficiency and quality — including the new A6 chip — its expanding role as a principal competitor leaves Apple in an untenable situation. Apple may instead turn to Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company (TSMC) to produce its A6 chips," noted the US-Taiwan Business Council in a recent report.

"Apple and Samsung continue to run neck and neck in global smartphone shipments, setting up a tight battle for leadership that will continue throughout 2012," Lam predicts. This is a "two-horse race at the forefront of one of the world’s largest and most valuable consumer electronics markets," added Neil Mawston, executive director at Strategy Analytics.

Nokia, the previous market leader, dropped to third place with a -23% decline year-over-year. Tom Kang, director at Strategy Analytics, explained, “Nokia’s global smartphone market share halved from 33% in 2010 to 16% in 2011. A lackluster touchscreen smartphone portfolio and a limited presence in the huge United States market caused Nokia’s shrinkage last year. Nokia’s partnership with Microsoft will be very much in focus during 2012, and the industry will be watching closely to see how swiftly the two companies can expand in the high-value 4G LTE market that is rapidly emerging across the United States, Japan and elsewhere.”

The market share battle between Apple and Samsung reflects the competition between the two leading smartphone operating systems and ecosystems: Apple’s iOS and Google’s Android. However, the other major Android licensees — Sony Ericsson and Motorola — did not match Samsung’s strong smartphone performance. This may indicate that "the Android smartphone market is becoming too crowded," Lam said.

IHS (NYSE: IHS) provides analysis on energy and power; design and supply chain; defense, risk and security; environmental, health and safety (EHS) and sustainability; country and industry forecasting; and commodities, pricing and cost. Learn more at www.ihs.com.

Strategy Analytics is a global, independent research and consulting firm. Visit www.strategyanalytics.com for more information.

Subscribe to Solid State Technology

BUSINESS WIRE — Thin Film Electronics ASA (Thinfilm) announced technology partnerships with printed display and printed battery companies. Thinfilm signed a non-exclusive licensing agreement with Acreo, which develops printed displays. The company also entered into a technology assessment agreement with Imprint Energy, which is developing printed battery technology.

Thinfilm provides roll-to-roll printed, rewritable non-volatile memory products that can be integrated with other printed components from its partners for fully printed systems. The company recently demonstrated the first working prototype of a printed non-volatile memory device addressed with complementary organic circuits, the organic equivalent of CMOS circuitry.

The partnerships are a "key part" of Thinfilm’s roadmap to support the Internet of Things. "Building an ecosystem of complementary vendors will accelerate our delivery of integrated printed systems," said Davor Sutija, CEO, Thinfilm.

Other partnerships have been formed with PARC, a Xerox company, as well as Polyera.

"Acreo’s printed electronic chromic displays are ideal for our display requirements in segmented displays, such as alphanumeric characters and battery meters. The display’s low price — a few cents per display – and low power makes Acreo’s display technology an excellent addition to our technology portfolio," added Sutija. Acreo is one of Europe’s top research institutes providing cutting edge results within the field of printed electronics, optics and communication technologies.

The Imprint Energy collaboration will develop and test samples for low-power, ultra-high volume applications like temperature tags and small-scale displays. Imprint’s technology requires very little packaging, making it cost effective to scale the battery to the requirements of a given application. Imprint Energy, Inc. is commercializing a breakthrough low cost, flexible, rechargeable battery technology developed by its founders from the University of California, Berkeley. Imprint Energy’s exclusive high conductivity polymer electrolyte technology enables scalable print-based manufacturing of energy dense and ultra-thin batteries based on non-Lithium earth-abundant materials.

Thin Film Electronics ASA (Thinfilm) develops printed electronics, and provides fully printed non-volatile, rewritable memory for applications in toys and games, logistics, sensor, and ID systems. Learn more at http://www.thinfilm.no.

Visit the new Displays Manufacturing Channel on ElectroIQ.com!

January 24, 2012 — The Commerce Department’s United States Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) seeks nominees in the US for the 2012 National Medal of Technology and Innovation (NMTI), honoring "this nation’s creative geniuses," said Richard Maulsby, the USPTO

January 24, 2012 — Active matrix organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) TVs drew a crowd at International CES 2012 in Las Vegas this month, but manufacturing challenges and expensive fab materials will limit global shipments of the sets for several years, says IHS iSuppli. IHS compares the 55" AMOLED TVs from LG Display and Samsung, each using different manufacturing technologies for the OLED displays.

In 2012, 34,000 AMOLED TVs will ship. Global AMOLED TV shipments will hit 2.1 million units in 2015, just 1% of the total flat-panel market, shows a new IHS iSuppli Small and Medium Displays service.

Figure. IHS iSuppli AMOLED TV shipment forecast.
  2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015
Thousands of Units 20 22 34 321 935 2,107

Manufacturing yield is too low for AMOLED TVs, keeping prices "dramatically higher than those of liquid crystal display (LCD) TVs," said Vinita Jakhanwal, director of small/medium and OLED displays at IHS. AMOLED manufacturing efficiencies and output yields are unlikely to match those of LCDs for the next three years. Large-sized AMOLED panel production faces issues with scaling manufacturing to newer-generation fabs. And the small pool of materials suppliers is keeping materials costs high.

Also read: OLED trends: Materials, color patterning advances and the display race

Billions of dollars have been invested in large-panel AMOLED display technology, by companies like LG Display and Samsung Electronics, which brought 55" units to CES. Recent innovations in AMOLED backplane technology, materials and equipment and suppliers’ investments in newer-generation AMOLED fabs have made these AMOLED TVs possible. However, pricing remains much higher compared to current LCD TVs in the market. In 2012, 55" AMOLED TVs ($8000) will cost about $4300 more than equivalent LCD TVs. The display improvements realized by AMOLED TVs are unlikely to sway consumers until this price gap drops to about 20%, Jakhanwal reports.

IHS iSuppli expects AMOLED display suppliers, equipment makers, material makers and TV makers to cooperate in developing more efficient and cost effective ways in order to make large-sized AMOLED panels, eventually pushing prices down.

Early production of 55" AMOLED panels is likely to be conducted at existing Gen-8 amorphous silicon (a-Si) LCD fabs that will be converted to make the oxide silicon backplanes needed for AMOLEDs. Both LGD and Samsung plan to move mass production to eighth-generation AMOLED lines in the future.

LG Display’s 55" 3D, 3840 by 1260 definition AMOLED TV boasts of features that exceed any other flat-panel TV now on the market. The television is only 4 millimeters thick and weighs 17 pounds. It also has a pixel speed that is 1,000 times faster and consumes only one-third of the power compared to conventional LCDs. LG Display indicated the price for its 55" AMOLED TV is expected to decline to $4,000 by 2013 (comparable LCD TVs will likely cost less than $1,000). Samsung also showcased a 55-inch 3-D AMOLED television with similar specifications. LGD and Samsung are expected to begin shipping their OLED TVs to the market by the third quarter of 2012, in time for the 2012 London Summer Olympics.

Table. A comparison of AMOLED and LCD televisions specifications. SOURCE: IHS iSuppli.

Specification AMOLED LED
(Edge-Lit)		 LCD
Size 55-inches 55-inches 55-inches
Display Resolution 3840×2160
(Ultra Definition)		 1920×1080
(Full HD)		 1920×1080
(Full HD)
Contrast Ratio 100,000,000:1 10,000,000:1 150,000:1
Response Time 1 millisecond 1 sec. 2 sec.
Wide Viewing Angle 178°x178° 178°x178° 178°x178°
Thickness 4mm 1.2in 3.8in
Power Consumption (Max.) 74W 230W 310W
Weight 17 lb. 62 lb 66 lb.
Price $8,000 $3,700 $1,000

LG Display and Samsung used different AMOLED technology in the TV sets they brought to CES.

Samsung’s AMOLED TV panel uses a horizontal red/green/blue (RGB) pixel structure, which requires a fine metal mask (FMM) for the AMOLED material patterning. This is challenging to implement on large substrates, due to fine-pitch alignment requirements for the FMM and glass substrate.

Samsung’s AMOLED technology mainly uses low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) LCD as the backplane. However, for larger fabs, the company may consider working with oxide silicon backplanes as an intermediary step before new-generation low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) backplanes are available.

LGD’s AMOLED panel used a vertical white-OLED (WOLED) pixel structure with a color filter, eliminating the need for an RGB mask and associated alignment. However, this approach needs an additional color filter. The oxide silicon backplane of LGD’s 55-inch TV likely will be manufactured at LGD’s existing eighth-generation a-Si LCD fab. LGD indicated that such a conversion of an existing a-Si fab to make oxide silicon backplanes will require almost 50% less investment than a new LTPS LCD fab. This fab, according to LGD, is able to do three half-cuts of 55" displays from one substrate.

Access the IHS iSuppli Small and Medium Displays service.

IHS (NYSE: IHS) provides analysis on energy and power; design and supply chain; defense, risk and security; environmental, health and safety (EHS) and sustainability; country and industry forecasting; and commodities, pricing and cost. Learn more at www.ihs.com.

Visit the new Displays Manufacturing Channel on ElectroIQ.com
And our new LEDs Manufacturing Channel!

January 23, 2012 — The LCD TV market saw a rapid shift toward sizes larger than 40" at the end of 2011, as consumers, particularly in North America and China, took advantage of new sizes and more affordable prices. As larger sizes such as 46”, 47”, 55”, 60” and 65” are being adopted by consumers, display panel makers are also developing other new large size TV panels, including 43”, 48”, 50”, 70”, 75”, 80” and even larger.

In light of this strong end-market adoption, NPD DisplaySearch increased its forecast for LCD TV area demand. According to the NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report, LCD TV panel demand will reach 85 million square meters in 2012, nearly 2% higher than the previous forecast. NPD DisplaySearch has also increased the area demand forecast from 2013 to 2018 to account for increased 40"+ LCD TV demand. Market share for 40"+ panels is also growing; in 2015, 40"+ sizes are expected to account for 38% of total LCD TV panel demand (previously forecasted at 34%).

Figure 1. LCD TV Demand Area – Q3’11 and Q4’11 (Millions m²). Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report.

North America and China are the 2 largest global LCD TV markets, and consumers in these locations are adopting 40"+ LCD TVs robustly, said David Hsieh, VP, NPD DisplaySearch. "Consumers are responding to promotions to buy larger sizes. Panel makers are working to push this trend further by producing larger panels more efficiently. The increase in LCD TV area demand means more capacity consumption. This will be an important aspect in balancing TFT LCD supply/demand."

New panel sizes such as 39”, 43”, 48”, 50” and 65” are being manufactured in the same Gen 6 through Gen 8 fabs, but now offer better glass substrate utilization efficiency. TV makers are combining ultra-slim bezels, direct-type LED backlights, and other user-friendly features with attractive prices on these models. Even larger sizes such as 58"-84" can be produced with high-end features — 21:9 cinema form factor or 4Kx2K resolution — to draw consumers.

Figure 2. 40"+ LCD TV Percentage in Total LCD TV -Q3’11 and Q4’11 (Unit Basis). Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report.

The NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report covers quarterly worldwide shipments of all major flat panel applications. With over 140 FPD producers across 10+ countries, this report analyzes historical shipments and forecast projections to provide some of the most detailed information and insights available. 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. Learn more at http://www.displaysearch.com/.

Visit the new Displays Manufacturing Channel on ElectroIQ.com!

January 23, 2012 — Texas Instruments (TI, NASDAQ:TXN) DLP Products released DLP LightCrafter, an advanced, compact evaluation module for TI’s spatial light steering DLP technology. Designers can use the evaluation module to create industrial, medical, security and scientific products, among others.

The evaluation kit is built around the reference design for Texas Instruments’ 0.3" WVGA resolution DLP chipset for high-speed spatial light modulation. The chipset comprises the DLP3000 micro electro mechanical system (MEMS) device with 415,872 microscopic mirrors, and the DLPC300 controller for high-speed operation of the micromirror array. DLP LightCrafter integrates the 0.3 WVGA chipset with an RGB LED light engine that is capable of producing more than 20 lumens of light output. DLP LightCrafter also includes Texas Instruments’ TMS320DM365 embedded processor; 128MB of NAND flash memory for pattern storage; an embedded Linux OS; and a configurable I/O trigger for integrating cameras, sensors, and other peripheral devices.

THe 0.3" WVGA chipset displays up to 4000 binary patterns per second, and is commonly used in pico projectors.

DLP LightCrafter offers enhanced processing speed and power for developers to create, store, and display high-speed pattern sequences through DLP LightCrafter’s USB-based application programming interface (API) and graphical user interface (GUI). It joins TI’s development kit platform, targeting reduced development time and greater creativity.

"Over the past few years, our company has had great success in using DLP’s development tools to build out our designs for contactless, 3D fingerprint scanners, among other biometrics products," said Mike Troy, CEO, FlashScan3D. "DLP technology allows us to capture greater detail in fingerprints with higher accuracy, thus cutting down on the possibilities of technician error and fraud, and with the new DLP LightCrafter development module, we can scan prints faster, store data internally versus on a laptop or separate storage device and, because of its size, create even smaller, portable products."

Texas Instruments will show DLP LightCrafter at SPIE Photonics West, January 24-26 in San Francisco, CA at booth #2415.

Texas Instruments (NASDAQ: TXN) is a global semiconductor company. Texas Instruments’ award-winning DLP MEMS display technology has powered the world’s top projectors and displays, delivering pictures rich with color, contrast, clarity and brightness to screens of all sizes. DLP’s technology spans movie theaters (DLP Cinema) and large-scale, professional venues; in conference rooms, classrooms, and home theaters; and with DLP Pico-enabled mobile devices, the ability to project images from the palm of your hand. Learn more at www.TI.com/DLPLightCrafter.

View recent issues of the MEMS Direct newsletter

January 19, 2012 — Air Liquide Electronics completed a series of expansions at its ALOHA manufacturing sites in the United States (California), France (Chalon) and Japan (Tsukuba). The company has doubled its advanced precursor production capacity, and will be able to introduce multiple products with the updated facilities.

Air Liquide is expanding its precursor production for advanced, nanoscale semiconductor manufacturing processes. The precursors increase the electrical and mechanical performance of film materials used in microelectronics fabrication. The ALOHA product line includes all the advanced CVD and ALD precursors for sub-65nm semiconductor device manufacturing.

Fremont, CA’s site supports mass production of the ALOHA precursors. Its production area doubled, with a new laboratory for joint development projects with customers and technology providers workign on advanced deposition materials. Chalon and Tsukuba have expanded with an eye to more capacity for key products.

Capacity is ramping up for:

  • ZyALD for second generation ZrO2 high-k materials for advanced DRAM,
  • silicon precursors for a variety of sub-32nm applications such as patterning and gapfill in memory and high-end logic chips,
  • high-k metal gate (HKMG) precursors now qualified on major OEM platforms,
  • metallization precursors for copper capping or barrier layers as well as DRAM capacitor electrodes,
  • TORUS precursors for ruthenium metallization,
  • low-k precursors and ancillary materials for advanced back-end dielectric stacks,
  • new materials for new devices such as resistive (ReRAM) and phase change (PCRAM) memory.

Air Liquide has also decided to broaden its offering beyond carrier and specialty gases and precursor materials used in the manufacturing process into fluorine cleaning gas solutions. Starting in 2012, flat panel display and silicon thin film photovoltaic manufacturing sites will have access to this environmentally friendly gas. Read: Air Liquide Electronics launch of a new offer

Air Liquide provides gases for industry, health, and the environment. Air Liquide Electronics is the global organization of Air Liquide dedicated to the semiconductor, photovoltaic and flat panel markets. Air Liquide is listed on the Paris Euronext stock exchange (compartment A) and is a member of the CAC 40 and Dow Jones Euro Stoxx 50 indexes. Learn more at www.airliquide.com.

Subscribe to Solid State Technology

January 19, 2012 — European research centers imec and Holst Centre are pulling together their collective organic and oxide transistor and flexible organic light emitting diode (OLED) lighting research and contacts for a new project focused on next-generation flexible OLED displays. The goal is an economically scalable route to high-volume manufacturing of flexible active-matrix OLED displays.

Imec, Holst Centre, and associated partners will target high resolution, low power consumption, large area, outdoor readability, flexibility and light weight in the OLED displays. Individual challeneges that the research will address include:

  • a mechanically flexible encapsulation film and TFT backplane;
  • printed, high-efficiency OLEDs
  • new materials and processes for cheaper production, better quality, lower power, more robustness and more flexibility.

Designs of drivers, pixel circuits and TFT backplane matrix will be reconsidered as increasing display area influences the amount of pixels-per-inch or the refresh rates. Finally the program scope includes the development of new manufacturing equipment such as fine patterning equipment for backplanes and tools for integrated roll-to-roll manufacturing.

Image. Flexible OLED display developed in close collaboration with Polymer Vision, one of the industrial partners in the shared programs at Holst Centre and imec.

State-of-the-art OLED displays offer stronger contrast than LCD screens because OLEDs only emit once activated. OLEDs boast fast response times, low power consumption, better viewing angle, and simpler designs with fewer components than LCD displays. "Flexible displays represent an enormous economic and technical opportunity for flat panel manufacturers and its supply chain," said Gerwin Gelinck (Holst Centre), Program Manager of the OLED Display Program.

Also read: Long-term market outlook may shine for OLED displays

Paul Heremans (imec), Program Manager of the OLED Display Program: “With this program in mind, we already have been working more and more towards integrating separate building blocks and have realized OLED displays using both organic and metal oxide TFT backplanes. Thin, plastic substrates were used, and the displays were fully encapsulated using our state-of-the-art barrier technology. Part of this was done with other research institutes in a European project called FLAME, but we could really pull this off because of intense collaboration with some of our industrial partners. We will demonstrate some of these display prototypes in 2012.”

Imec performs world-leading research in nanoelectronics. Further information on imec can be found at www.imec.be.

Holst Centre is an independent open-innovation R&D centre that develops generic technologies for Wireless Autonomous Sensor Technologies and for Flexible Electronics. Holst Centre was set up in 2005 by imec (Flanders, Belgium) and TNO (The Netherlands) with support from the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs and the Government of Flanders. More information: www.holstcentre.com.

Visit the new LEDs Manufacturing Channel on ElectroIQ.com!

January 18, 2012 — SEMI presented its annual SEMI Award for North America to QD Vision. QD Vision team members made significant progress on the integration and manufacturing processes essential to the commercialization of quantum dot (QD) technology.

The QD Vision team’s pioneering work in the commercialization of QD technology is expected to support a wide range of products from lamps to displays to photovoltaics with lower cost, higher energy efficiency and greater wavelength control. Seth Coe-Sullivan accepted the SEMI Award on behalf of his team during a banquet at the 2012 SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) yesterday in Half Moon Bay, Calif.

Team members include:

  • Moungi Bawendi, MIT professor, QD Vision Science Advisory Board
  • Vladimir Bulovic, MIT professor, QD Vision Science Advisory Board, QD Vision founder
  • Seth Coe-Sullivan, QD Vision founder and CTO
  • John Ritter, QD Vision, EVP of Product Development and Operations
  • Jonathan S. Steckel, QD Vision founder and director of Chemistry

Quantum Dots are semiconductor nanocrystals that glow when exposed to current or light. Discovered in the early 1980s, they were researched throughout the 1980s and early 1990s when the industry recognized the commercial potential. QDs emit different colors depending on their size and the semiconductor material in the nanocrystal. The commercial differentiation is in the bright, pure tunable colors, low-power consumption for displays and lighting, and the potential of improved efficiency for photovoltaics. QD Vision was the first to sell QD products which were integrated into general illumination lamps, introduced in 2009 at Light Fair International.  QD-based displays will first improve the color quality of LCDs, and will subsequently become the emissive element in an electroluminescent display, where R&D efficiencies demonstrated in 2011 have already eclipsed that of OLEDs and LCDs.

“Our industry honors the QD Vision team for their combined efforts to speed commercialization of Quantum Dot technology,” said Denny McGuirk, president and CEO of SEMI. “This team’s work on developing integration and manufacturing processes has moved the industry forward for a wide range of applications.”

“The commercialization of quantum dot technology, led by the team at QD Vision, opens the door to new generations of products in lighting, displays, and photovoltaics,” said Bill Bottoms, chairman of the SEMI Award Advisory Committee. “They offer greater wavelength control, improved color purity and greater energy efficiency than any existing alternative. Quantum dots hold the promise of replacing the technologies we use in those areas today.””

The SEMI Award was established in 1979 to recognize outstanding technical achievement and meritorious contribution in the areas of Semiconductor Materials, Wafer Fabrication, Assembly and Packaging, Process Control, Test and Inspection, Robotics and Automation, Quality Enhancement, and Process Integration.

The award is the highest honor conferred by SEMI. It is open to individuals or teams from industry or academia whose specific accomplishments have broad commercial impact and widespread technical significance for the entire semiconductor industry. Nominations are accepted from individuals of North American-based member companies of SEMI. Past award recipients include Walter Benzing and Mike McNealy, Ken Levy, Jean Hoerni, Dan Maydan, Robert Akins and Igor Khandros, among others.

SEMI is aglobal industry association serving the nano- and microelectronics manufacturing supply chains. For more information, visit www.semi.org.

2012 SEMI Industry Strategy Symposium (ISS) reports:

ISS 2012: What is the semiconductor industry’s strategy? by Michael A. Fury

Fury’s report from ISS Day 2

ISS Top 10 trends, from Pete Singer