Category Archives: Displays

January 5, 2012 — 2011 was pivotal for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) displays, particularly active matrix OLED (AMOLED) displays. With strong growth in smartphones, AMOLED shipments are estimated to have reached 90 million units in 2011, up 97% year-over-year (Y/Y), while revenue is expected to grow to $3.36 billion, up 169% Y/Y, according to the latest NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Small/Medium Shipment and Forecast Report.

As it competes with TFT LCDs, AMOLED penetration into the small/medium (9" and smaller) display market has been increasing. In 2010, AMOLEDs had a 6% share of small/medium active matrix flat panel displays (TFT LCD and AMOLED), and is expected to have doubled its share to 12% in 2011. The reason for this is smartphones, which saw more than doubled revenues in 2011. Trends include higher average selling prices (ASPs) and larger screen sizes with increased display performance.

Figure 1. Annual small/medium AMOLED revenue by application. Source: NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Small/Medium Shipment and Forecast Report.

AMOLED is experiencing particularly strong adoption in larger smartphone displays. Q1-3 2011, shipments of AMOLED displays 3.5" and larger for smartphones reached 59.7 million units, up three-fold from the same period in 2010.

Samsung’s Galaxy line of smartphones has been the leading adopter of AMOLED displays with high contrast and motion picture response time, while Apple’s iPhone uses a high-resolution TFT LCD with IPS technology. The competition between the iPhone and Galaxy has brought increased attention to the AMOLED displays, currently produced only by Samsung Mobile Display.

With the successful mass-production of AMOLEDs and a new Gen 5.5 fab running, Samsung Mobile Display is producing larger AMOLED displays for applications such as Samsung’s Galaxy Note and Tab tablet PCs, as well as supplying outside customers.

"Samsung Mobile Displays has been a key driver of the growth of AMOLEDs, with the company accounting for 97.5% of all AMOLED shipments," notes Hiroshi Hayase, NPD DisplaySearch’s VP of small/medium display research. "LG Display, AUO, and CMI also are planning to ship AMOLEDs for smart phones in 2012."

AMOLEDs are also penetrating new market segments such as Sony’s PS-Vita portable game, which features a 5” AMOLED; LG Display is shipping AMOLEDs to LG Electronics for external mobile phone displays. LG Electronics announced plans to produce a 55” AMOLED TV in 2012.

The NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Small/Medium Shipment and Forecast Report covers the entire range of small/medium displays shipped worldwide and regionally. Backed by over 40 suppliers of data and our own team of industry analysts, this report analyzes historical shipments and projects forecasts that provide decision makers with the insights they need to support procurement and product plans.

The Quarterly Small/Medium Shipment and Forecast Report now offers advanced features that allow users to track data by viewing angle and 3D capabilities. 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. For more information on NPD DisplaySearch analysts, reports and industry events, visit http://www.displaysearch.com/.

Visit the new Displays Manufacturing Channel on ElectroIQ.com!

January 5, 2012 — US FPD Smart Displays — From Emerging to Mainstream, taking place February 28-29 in San Diego, CA, will feature forecasts and analysis from DisplaySearch and In-Stat analysts, as well as presentations from smart display industry executives.

Sessions preview:

Advancing Smart Display Technologies covers the transition to higher pixel densities at larger panel sizes, the future of OLEDs in larger displays, the impact of oxide TFT development, and the issues of power consumption and sunlight readability on mobile devices.

Interactivity — New User Interfaces for Smart Displays looks beyond keyboards and remote controls to the next generation of smart display interaction: touch, and its alternatives like intelligent assistance from gesture and voice. It will address what level of automation is required, but acceptable for users.

Connectivity — Controlling and Acquiring Devices and Content  considers the connectivity requirement: simple, fast and reliable access to the Internet and/or other devices. Issues include standards and technologies for Internet connectivity, such as compressed wireless and uncompressed wireless for various display sizes and streaming bandwidths.

Content and Apps for Smart Displays focuses on how content drives device functionality. How does the form factor for Smart Displays influence content acquisition and manipulation? Ultimately, does the content drive the device selection process or vice versa?

Smart Phones and Tablets: Extending the TV and Competing with the TV looks at the hot display category of smartphones/tablets and how they affect traditional home media consumption like TV. Interactivity is currently evolving, and the next step is uncertain. The session will examine networked home environments, and the overlap of TV and smartphone/tablet consumers.

TV of the Future considers why TVs are one of the last devices to become “Smart.” Topics include consumer expectations, price points, content, players in traditional and non-traditional realms, and the enabling technologies for smart TVs like voice and gesture technology.

What Features will Future Smart Displays Require? is dedicated to the sensors, audio components, microprocessors, and other hardware that will enable smart display functionalities. The highly diverse universe of Internet and mobile content require advanced rendering and scaling technologies, with greater pixel density.

Register for US FPD Smart Displays — From Emerging to Mainstream at http://www.cvent.com/events/2012-displaysearch-us-fpd/event-summary-333ee09ebd024cb1926df8864efb5e6e.aspx

January 4, 2012 — Tablet PCs are taking over turf in the mobile PC market, making up 25.5% of the sector with shipments of 72.7 million units in 2011, according to the latest NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report. Overall mobile PC shipments in 2011 are projected to reach 285.4 million units, up 31% over 2010.

Year-over-year (Y/Y) growth will hit 256% in 2011 for tablets, thanks to strong demand in Q3 and Q4 and a combination of vigorous demand for incumbent devices and competitive new devices hitting the market. Additional distribution channels were also a factor. Tablet PC shipments will be driven by increasingly powerful multi-core processors, mature operating systems, growing application libraries, and higher resolution panels. NPD DisplaySearch forecasts that tablet PCs with 250 to 300 pixel per inch panels will make up nearly 25% of shipments in 2012.

Notebook PC shipments in 2011 are now expected to reach 187.5 million units, up 12% Y/Y, but slightly less than NPD DisplaySearch’s previous forecast of 188 million. Mini-note PC shipments are expected to reach 25.2 million units, up 20% Y/Y.

Notebook PC shipments will bounce back in the long term, thanks to declining average selling prices (ASPs), predicts Richard Shim, senior analyst at NPD DisplaySearch. The mobile-optimized Windows 8 operating system and new Intel chips, as well as new form factors, such as ultrabooks, will also influence buyers. By 2017, notebook PC shipments are forecast to reach 432 million units, and tablet PC shipments are projected to reach 383.3 million units.

Figure 1. 2011-2017 mobile PC shipments by form factor (millions). Source: Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report.

Mobile PC shipments into emerging regions are growing, with 2011 shipments projected to be 138 million units, up 48% Y/Y, and increasing to 452.8 million by 2017. Mobile PC shipments into mature regions are estimated to reach 147.5 million units in 2011 and grow to 371.6 million units by 2017.  

Ultrabooks are an emerging form factor that is expected to contribute to demand in later years of the forecast. Demand for ultrabooks will be driven by consumer interest in sleek design and convenience like instant-on and long battery life. For the next two years, these devices’ premium price points will temper demand, and there may be some supply limitations in production of displays thin enough for Ultrabooks.

Figure 2. 2011-2017 ultrabook PC shipment forecast (millions). Source: Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report.

Also read: MEMS win, DRAM lose in ultrabook designs

The NPD DisplaySearch Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report covers the entire range of mobile PC products shipped worldwide and regionally. With analysis of global and regional brands, the Quarterly Mobile PC Shipment and Forecast Report provides an objective, expert view of the market with insight into historical shipments, revenues, forecasts and more. 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. For more information on NPD DisplaySearch analysts, reports and industry events, visit us at http://www.displaysearch.com/.

January 3, 2012 — With consumers’ TV demand softening as the CRT-to-FPD transition tails off and mature markets around the world, bigger panel TVs (40" and greater) will grow 12% in 2012, while those smaller will fall off by 3%, shows NPD DisplaySearch. Overall, TV shipments will grow 2% this year.

Consumer demand for TVs was softer than expected in 2011, but showed signs of improvement late in the year. However, inventory pressure plagued the industry through much of early 2011 and led to a sharp reduction in shipments to retailers. The result is that global TV unit shipments are expected to rise only 0.1% in 2011. According to the latest forecast released in the NPD DisplaySearch Advanced Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report, growth is expected to improve in 2012, rising 2% to 254 million units.

“Global economic conditions have improved in 2011, but more slowly than expected, and consumers in mature TV markets like Europe face continuing uncertainty, which is leading to very cautious spending patterns,” noted Paul Gagnon, Director of North America TV Research for NPD DisplaySearch. Gagnon added, “Because price reductions are not as vigorous as a few years ago, partially due to a mature manufacturing base but also because of transitions to advanced features like LED backlights and 3D, consumers are becoming more willing to wait for peak sale periods to purchase.”

Flat panel TV continues to grow, but at a more gradual pace of 2-4% per year as the rapid transition from CRT to LCD and plasma nears an end. LCD TV continues to be the dominant technology on a unit and revenue basis, and in fact seems likely to capture even more market share due to a weaker outlook for plasma TV going forward. As LCD narrows the pricing gap with plasma at many sizes, the demand for plasma has fallen; NPD DisplaySearch expects this to continue and has reduced its forecast for plasma TV.

Also read: Scaling and complexity drive LCD yield strategies

Large TV sizes also continue to show strong growth, with shipments of 40"+ and larger sets expected to grow 12% in 2012 while <40" sizes decline 3%. A strong contributing factor to the growth of larger sizes, including an 18% increase in shipments of 50"+ sets, is pricing. Sizes up to 50" will have average prices below $1000 in 2012 and even 60"+ sizes will fall below $2000 for the first time. During Black Friday (after Thanksgiving in November) holiday sales in the US, many 40-47" sets were below $500, and even 60" sets fell below $1000, prompting robust unit sales. Many consumers seem to be willing to give up features in favor of larger sizes for a given TV buying budget. Even in China, shipment share of 50"+ and larger sizes is growing strongly and may become the only region outside of North America to reach 10% 50"+ mix of unit shipments by 2015.

LCD TV shipments will rise from 206M units in 2011 to 225M units in 2012, an increase of 9%. LCD will account for more than 82% of all global TV shipments in 2011, rising to more than 88% in 2012, as demand for plasma falls and OLED TVs arrive late in the year in small quantities and at high prices. LCD is now a strong competitive technology at all sizes and should climb to more than 95% share by 2014 as CRT fades and OLED is slow to grow.

Premium features continue to grow, like LED backlights and 3D, and are keeping LCD TV average prices very stable, falling just 6% Y/Y on a volume weighted basis in 2011, the slowest year of LCD TV price erosion yet. Price erosion will be about the same in 2012 before picking up to 7-8% per year through 2015, but much less than the 24% decline seen in 2009. However, with the slower ASP erosion, total LCD TV revenue growth should remain positive through 2013 at 1-3% per year. The share of LED backlights in LCD TV shipments is expected to be about 46% in 2011, rising to nearly 68% in 2012. 3D will account for around 3% of LCD TV units this year.

Plasma TV units grew 30% in 2010 due to a favorable pricing advantage over LCD, but as that advantage has narrowed in 2011, shipments are expected to fall 11%, to 16.3 million units. The decline in unit growth and weak profits have led manufacturers to focus on more profitable segments, even at the expense of unit growth. As a result, plasma TV shipments are projected to fall to less than 10 million units by 2015.

The first OLED TV shipments are expected in the second half of 2012, but due to prices that are expected to be well above $4000 initially and remain significantly higher than mainstream high-end LCD TVs, will only grow to about 2.5% of the 40"+ segment by 2015.

The worldwide forecast for 3D TVs was slightly increased to more than 23M units in 2011 through better than expected growth in emerging markets and Europe. By contrast, demand in North America has been surprisingly soft for 3D, and may only reach 3.6 million units in 2011 as US consumers remain very price sensitive. Eventually though, North America will see a rise in 3D adoption due to stronger preference for 40”+ sizes where the 3D feature is common and expected to be less costly. Globally, 3D TV is expected rise to more than 100M units shipped by 2015.

Emerging regions, which includes China, Asia-Pacific, Latin America, Eastern Europe, and Middle East/Africa, will account for the majority of flat panel TV growth over the next four years, averaging 11% growth each year, while developed regions decline an average of 1% each year. In fact, China has become the largest market for flat panel TVs and will continue to be throughout the forecast period. The Asia-Pacific region is positioned for strongest growth as the late-adopting India market begins to boom.

The NPD DisplaySearch Q4’11 Advanced Quarterly Global TV Shipment and Forecast Report includes panel and TV shipments by region and by size for nearly 60 brands, and also includes rolling 16-quarter forecasts, TV cost/price forecasts and design wins. 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/.

Visit the new Displays Manufacturing Channel on ElectroIQ.com!

December 29, 2011 — While mobile phone applications are the main driver for capacitive touch display adoption, the 2012 release of touch-optimized Windows 8 will bring PC growth as well. A new manufacturing process, sensor-on-cover, should see rapid growth, shows NPD DisplaySearch, and other new techniques are lowering fab costs.

Also read: Diverse touchscreen technologies drive industry transition

Mobile phone adoption is bringing projected capacitive touch displays into the mainstream, according to NPD DisplaySearch’s Touch Panel Market Analysis December update. In 2011, 566 million projected capacitive touch screens will ship for mobile phone applications.  

Sensor-on-cover, also called one-glass solution or touch on lens, is fabricated with on-cover lens finishing and a new indium tin oxide (ITO) patterning process. Wintek, Cando, and others have adopted sensor-on-cover touch screens, noted Jennifer Colegrove, PhD, VP of emerging display technologies for NPD DisplaySearch. Sensor-on-cover displays boast a thinner structure and lighter weight than traditional touchsceens. The approach is expected to "grow rapidly in 2012," Colegrove said. In-cell and on-cell touch from display panel makers will challenge sensor-on-cover from touch module makers starting in 2012, so touch makers have to quickly improve their yield rates.

An additional touchscreen boost in 2012 could come from the PCs sector, including tablets, notebooks, and all-in-ones, with the release of touch-optimized Windows 8.

Touch technology opens opportunities for optical imaging and infrared touch-on-screen sizes greater than 30", serving educational markets, NPD DisplaySearch predicts. Turkey and China are plan to build multi-media teaching systems using touch technology, for example.
 
Although resistive touch has lost share to capacitive, it has found a new commercial application in automotive monitors. Because automotive design cycles are long, they limit the near-term impact of this adoption area.

Some film-based touch module makers use low-temperature (~140

December 27, 2011 – BUSINESS WIRE — Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO, TOKYO:6971) completed a share transfer agreement with three investment funds operated by Japan Industrial Partners, Inc. to acquire all shares of Optrex Corporation, a specialized liquid crystal display (LCDs) manufacturer, to further strengthen and expand its LCD and touchscreen panel businesses.

Effective February 1, 2012, Optrex will become a wholly-owned subsidiary of Kyocera Corporation.

Kyocera’s Corporate Thin Film Components Group develops, manufactures and markets small- and medium-sized LCDs for industrial applications worldwide. The company’s business structure is designed to handle custom orders and respond to customer needs, manufacturing a wide range of products in small volumes, as well as larger ones.

OPTREX Corporation was founded in 1976 and is based at Arakawa-ku, Tokyo, Japan. The company president is Shinichi Inagaki. Optrex reports a capital of JPY4,075 million and employs 6,476 people in its manufacturing plants (Japan, China, and Thailand) and sales offices (Japan, China, Singapore, US, Germany).

Optrex manufactures LCDs for automotive application, with a customer base in Japan and internationally. Demand for LCDs used in industrial equipment and automotive applications is expected to steadily increase, Kyocera notes.

Kyocera expects that the acquisition will allow the company to further enhance the product lines of both its conventional industrial equipment applications and newly acquired automotive applications.

Since 2010, Kyocera has been expanding its capacitive touchscreen panel business, targeting thinness, strength and waterproof functionality for use in smartphones. Capacitive touchscreen panels are increasingly used in high-value-added products such as smartphones and tablet computers, forecast for high growth in the coming years. Optrex also possesses excellent production technology for touchscreen panels, thus by effectively combining both companies’ product technologies and operating resources including customer bases, Kyocera also expects to further enhance and expand its touchscreen panel business.
     
Kyocera Corporation (NYSE:KYO, TOKYO:6971), the parent and global headquarters of the Kyocera Group, was founded in 1959 as a producer of fine ceramics. By combining these engineered materials with metals and plastics, and integrating them with other technologies, Kyocera has become a leading supplier of electronic components, telecommunications equipment, printers, copiers, solar power generating systems, semiconductor packages, cutting tools and industrial ceramics. For more information about Kyocera LCDs & Touchscreen Panels: http://global.kyocera.com/prdct/ios/lcd/index.html.

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December 27, 2011 — Low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) and indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) are critical materials for the production of high-performance, high-resolution displays used on smartphones and media tablets. High mobility semiconductor materials allow thin-film transistor (TFT) display panel manufacturers to shrink TFT dimensions and increase light transmission, which minimizes power consumption.

High-mobility display backplane production will grow 150% from 5.6 million square meters in 2011 to 14.1 million square meters in 2012, as multiple Gen5 and larger LTPS fabs begin production in 2012, and Sharp, LG Display, Samsung and others ramp IGZO on existing lines, according to the NPD DisplaySearch TFT LCD Process Roadmap Report.

Figure. Manufacturing capacity for high-resolution backplane production. Source: NPD DisplaySearch TFT LCD Process Roadmap Report.

"Smart phones, tablets and cost reduction are expected to be the key drivers pushing the FPD industry in 2012," stated Charles Annis, NPD DisplaySearch Vice President of Manufacturing Research. An example is Apple Inc.’s Retina Display LCD, with greater than 230 pixels per inch (ppi) resolution, using minimal device power thanks to high transmission.

Flat panel display profit margins are under a great deal of pressure, pushing LCD makers to pursue mobile-device-specific development efforts as well as cost-reduction strategies, added Annis. "High-mobility backplanes, optical alignment, high-resolution lithography and advanced LC modes are expected to be some of the most important manufacturing technology trends over the next year." All of these technologies target increasing panel transmission. With only about 4-9% of the LCD-backlight illumination making it to the front of screen, very powerful light sources are required to meet LCD brightness specifications. In addition, backlight units are the single most expensive components in large-area LCD modules. Thus, by increasing transmission, panel makers can trade off power consumption and costs.

Proprietary technology and technical expertise are required to successfully increase transmission without sacrificing yield, Annis said. "Panel makers and their suppliers are racing to create competitive advantages through manufacturing technologies to increase profitability in 2012."

The new NPD DisplaySearch TFT LCD Process Roadmap Report offers a unique and unprecedented guide to these rapidly evolving FPD manufacturing technologies. The report provides technical discussions, process flows, production status by maker, adoption forecasts for 57 technologies and analysis of benefits, opportunities, negatives and challenges. Additionally, LCD cost and performance specifications for manufacturing technologies are projected through 2016.

For more information about the new NPD DisplaySearch TFT LCD Process Roadmap Report please contact Charles Camaroto at 1.888.436.7673 or 1.516.625.2452, e-mail [email protected] or contact your regional DisplaySearch office in China, Japan, Korea or Taiwan for more information. 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. Visit http://www.displaysearch.com/. The NPD Group provides reliable and comprehensive consumer and retail information for a wide range of industries.

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December 26, 2011 – JCN Newswire — Sony Corp. and Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. will transition their current LCD panel business relationship, with Samsung acquiring all of Sony’s shares of S-LCD Corporation (S-LCD), the LCD panel manufacturing joint venture, making S-LCD a wholly owned subsidiary of Samsung. Concurrently, the two companies have entered into a new strategic agreement for the supply and purchase of LCD panels.

The agreement also allows Sony and Samsung to continue cooperative engineering efforts focused on LCD panel technology.

In consideration for the share transfer, cash consideration of approximately KRW 1.08 trillion will be paid to Sony by Samsung.

For Sony, this transaction will enable it to monetize its shares in S-LCD and aims to secure a flexible and steady supply of LCD panels from Samsung, based on market prices and without the responsibility and costs of operating a manufacturing facility. With whole ownership of S-LCD, Samsung anticipates heightened flexibility, speed and efficiency in both panel production and business operations.

Established in April 2004, S-LCD has continued to deliver advanced and cost-competitive LCD panels to both of its parent companies, contributing to the expansion of the respective parties’ TV businesses, and the large-sized LCD TV market overall. However, LCD panel and TV market conditions have now changed. In order to respond to such challenging conditions and to strengthen their respective market competitiveness, the two companies have agreed to shift to a new LCD panel business alliance.

The share transfer and payment are targeted to close by the end of January 2012, subject to necessary approvals from regulatory authorities.

As a result of this transaction, a non-cash impairment loss of approximately JPY 66 billion is expected to be incurred by Sony in the third quarter of the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012, due to the reevaluation of its S-LCD shares. This loss includes an impact from the fluctuation of exchange rate. Despite this one-time loss, Sony estimates that the transaction will result in substantial savings on and after January 1, 2012 in respect of costs associated with its procurement of LCD panels. The current estimate of the yearly savings in respect of such costs is approximately JPY 50 billion, compared to LCD panel procurement costs estimated for the fiscal year ending March 31, 2012. Neither the one-time loss nor the estimated cost savings were included in Sony’s forecast of consolidated financial results for the current fiscal year ending March 31, 2012, announced on November 2, 2011. Sony is currently reevaluating this forecast, taking into account this transaction and other factors that might affect its full year FY2011 consolidated financial results forecast.

Sony Corporation is a leading manufacturer of audio, video, game, communications, key device and information technology products for the consumer and professional markets. Sony Global Web Site: http://www.sony.net/.

Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (KSE: 0083) is a global leader in semiconductor, telecommunication, digital media and digital convergence technologies. Learn more at www.samsung.com.

December 20, 2011 — Displays for pure-play e-book readers will see 108% increase in shipments in 2011 (27.1 million units), a strong year leading into slower growth ahead, with 37% growth forecast for 2012, and declining shipments forecast in 2015. E-reader suppliers will consider new ways to attract consumers in the near future, according to an IHS iSuppli Small & Medium Displays Market Tracker report.

Figure. Global e-book reader display market forecast.
SOURCE: IHS iSuppli, December 2011.

The vast majority of e-reader displays are monochrome. These products compete with color-display tablets, like Apple Inc.’s iPad, and the slower growth in e-readers from 2012 on will prompt many device makers to adopt color displays, says Vinita Jakhanwal, senior manager for small and medium displays at IHS, and to focus on vertical markets, such as education.

Alternatives to the e-book reader display standard — electrophoretic displays (EPD) — include a color display technology based on micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS). The mainstream example is known as Mirasol, from Qualcomm Inc.

Also read: Qualcomm MEMS display launched in Korean e-readers

Mirasol competes with EPD on common characteristics — wide viewing angle, readability in sunlight, low power consumption — and beats EPD with full color displays and fast response speeds. Kyobo ebook readers can hold a power charge for weeks, based on 30 minutes of reading per day on the device, according to the launch announcement.

Color e-reader displays fall behind monochromatic devices in cost. The Mirasol-based Kyobo costs 349,000 Korean won, (USD319), exceeding the price tags of many tablet devices, and nearly quadrupling the monochromatic Amazon Kindle ebook reader (USD79). Large volumes for color e-readers, as well as an aggressive consumer-focused strategy, could bring costs down, IHS predicts. However, given today’s limited manufacturing capacity and associated higher costs for producing the color display, this is a large challenge for alternatives to monochromatic displays.

e-readers could differentiate from media tablets with growth in vertical markets, where a single use case is preferable to the diverse functionality and features of a media tablet, IHS reports. Current e-reader features, like light weight and a battery life lasting weeks on a single charge, are attractive in these use cases, thought IHS notes that no companies have yet pursued this strategy.

Access IHS iSuppli’s report, Tablet PCs and Smartphones Buoy Demand in the Small/Medium Displays Market, at http://www.isuppli.com/Display-Materials-and-Systems/Pages/Tablet-PCs-and-Smartphones-Buoy-Demand-In-the-Small-Medium-Displays-Market.aspx

Visit our new Display Manufacturing Channel on ElectroIQ.com!

December 12, 2011 — SEMI is looking for presenters for technical sessions and other opportunities at SEMICON West 2012, July 10-12 in San Francisco, CA.

SEMICON West 2012 will feature more than 40 hours of technical sessions and presentations across three show floor technology stages — the TechXPOTs — focused on critical industry topics shaping design and manufacturing of semiconductors, high-brightness (HB) LEDs, MEMS, printed and flexible electronics, and other related technologies.

SEMI is soliciting technical presentations in topic areas including:

Wafer Processing:

  • Emerging Architectures for Logic and Memory
  • Advanced Materials and Productivity Solutions
  • Advanced Lithography

Test:

  • Probe Card/Handlers
  • Semiconductor Test Strategies
  • ATE
  • Adaptive Test

Packaging:

  • Contemporary Packaging Technology and Productivity Solutions
  • New Packaging Solutions
  • Packaging Materials
  • Trends and Opportunities in 3D-IC
  • Testability and Thermal Management of 3D-IC
  • Interposer Solutions for Packaging

"Extreme" Electronics:

  • Opportunities in MEMS
  • High-brightness LED Manufacturing
  • OLED Manufacturing
  • Printed and Flexible Electronics

Submit an abstract (maximum 500 words) focused on the latest developments and innovations in these technology areas, inclusive of supporting data. The deadline for abstract submission is March 15, 2012. Submissions may be made online from the SEMICON West 2012 website at:  www.semiconwest.org/Participate/SPCFP.

On-line submission for abstracts is now available at: www.semiconwest.org/node/8311. Contact Agnes Cobar at [email protected] with questions.

SEMICON West is an event for the display of new products and technologies for microelectronics design and manufacturing, featuring technologies from across the microelectronics supply chain, from electronic design automation, to device fabrication (wafer processing), to final manufacturing (assembly, packaging, and test), as well as emerging technologies. For more information on SEMICON West 2012, please visit: www.semiconwest.org  

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