830 X 650-mm LCD production in Japan

02/01/1997

830 ? 650-mm LCD production in Japan

Hitachi will launch the industry`s first 830 ? 650-mm TFT-LCD production line, currently under construction at its Mobara plant, by July 1997. It will be able to produce nine 12.1-in. panels from a single glass substrate of this size, compared to six from advanced standard 550 ? 650-mm size panels.

When fully operational, the facility will have a production capacity of 150,000 panels (12.1-in.)/month. Investment in the new line totals 20 billion yen (US$180.1 million). The investment in this new line represents a move to increase the company`s share in the notebook computer TFT-LCD market. Hitachi also supplies 12.1-in. STN LCDs for notebook computers and 13.3-in. super TFT-LCDs for monitors.

Perhaps in response to Hitachi`s plans, Ulvac has announced that it will develop an LCD production sputtering system that can accommodate the expanded 650 ? 830 mm glass substrates. Ulvac, which controls a 60-70% share of the LCD sputtering system market, will develop the SMD830 by the spring of 1997 as the successor to the SMD650 single-substrate sputtering system.- from Electronic Materials Japan, a SEMI Newsletter