STELLA NEWS SITE is managed by Stella Corporation Inc.


FPD/PCB NEWS`December 8
 

AGC exits business in specialty glass for chemical strengthening

AGC announced to exit business in specialty glass for chemical strengthening. Manufacturing of this product at the Takasago Factory (Takasago City, Hyogo Prefecture) is scheduled to end in the third quarter of 2026.

FPD/PCB NEWS`December 4
 

Chuden Kogyo, The Chugoku Electric Power Company, and YKK AP
Begin Demonstration Test of Building-Integrated Photovoltaics Using Perovskite Solar Cells

Chuden Kogyo, The Chugoku Electric Power Company, and YKK AP have launched a demonstration project for building-integrated photovoltaics (BIPV) using perovskite solar cells.

At Yamayama-Mita, a community interaction space in Minami-ku, Hiroshima City?developed by Chuden Kogyo since April as a field for co-creating the future of the region?the companies have installed gHIROSHIMA ZERO BOX,h a demonstration house featuring BIPV developed by YKK AP. The house incorporates building-integrated solar power systems using perovskite solar cells embedded in interior windows, as well as various other types of solar panels. Electricity generated will be used to power lighting and air conditioning within the house.

FPD/PCB NEWS`December 3
 

Fujibo Holdings to Expand Abrasive Material Manufacturing Facilities

Fujibo Holdings has announced that its consolidated subsidiary, Fujibo Ehime, will strengthen its abrasive material manufacturing facilities. The investment amount is approximately 8.7 billion yen.

A new building will be constructed on the premises of the Fujibo Ehime Head Office Mibukawa Plant (Saijo City, Ehime Prefecture), and an additional production line for soft pads-an abrasive material product will be installed. Completion is scheduled for the second half of fiscal 2028.

FPD/PCB NEWS`November 28
 

Sumitomo Chemical Reaches Agreement to Acquire Taiwanese Semiconductor Process Chemicals Company

Sumitomo Chemical annouced to enter into a definitive agreement to acquire 100% of the shares of Asia Union Electronic Chemical (gAUECCh), a Taiwanese semiconductor process chemicals company. The transaction is subject to customary closing conditions, including obtaining required regulatory approvals.

FPD/PCB NEWS`November 25
 

Fujifilm Announces Completion of a New Building for Advanced Semiconductor Materials in Shizuoka
FUJIFILM Corporation announced the successful completion of a new building for development and evaluation at the Shizuoka Factory of FUJIFILM Electronic Materials (FFEM), the core company that leads Fujifilm's semiconductor materials business, with operations commencing in November.

The new building at the Shizuoka Factory is equipped with state-of-the-art evaluation equipment in a high-cleanliness cleanroom, enhancing quality evaluation functions for development and production. AI image recognition technology has been introduced to inspect fine particles contained in semiconductor materials, improving analysis accuracy and establishing an advanced quality control system utilizing AI. Furthermore, a department promoting digital transformation (DX) has been established in the new building to support the expansion of digital technologies such as AI in manufacturing processes, thereby improving product quality and ensuring stable supply.

FPD/PCB NEWS`November 21
 

TEL Construction Completed on Tokyo Electron Technology Solutions'Tohoku Production and Logistics Center
Tokyo Electron (TEL) announced the completion of the Tohoku Production and Logistics Center at its development/manufacturing subsidiary, Tokyo Electron Technology Solutions, in Oshu City, Iwate Prefecture. A completion ceremony was held earlier today.

The new building is a hybrid logistics center that combines production and warehouse functions. By consolidating logistics warehouses presented in and around the prefecture and improving production efficiency, the center will reduce lead times and solve operational problems in production and logistics, including human resource shortages and the implementation of business continuity planning. This will make the operations more flexible, efficient, and responsive.

FPD/PCB NEWS`November 17
 

EBARA to Establish Second Overhaul Plant for Dry Vacuum Pumps in Korea

Ebara Precision Machinery Korea Incorporated (EPMK), a subsidiary of EBARA CORPORATION, is to construct a second overhaul (OH) plant for dry vacuum pumps in Pyeongtaek, Gyeonggi Province, Republic of Korea. This initiative will further enhance EBARA's supply structure and after-sales service capabilities in the Korean market.

FPD/PCB NEWS`November 12
 

SATO Develops Printing-Based RFID Antenna Manufacturing Technology Using Conventional Micron-Sized Copper Paste
SATO has announced the development of a printing-based RFID antenna manufacturing technology that utilizes copper (Cu) paste made from commonly used micron-sized copper powder.

Compared to conventional methods that use aluminum (Al) or silver (Ag) pastes, the new technology achieves higher conductivity and stable quality suitable for mass production, while also reducing manufacturing costs. The company is exploring applications and mass production possibilities in fields such as circuit fabrication, sensor development, and solar cell substrate wiring formation, and is also considering co-creation with partner companies.

FPD/PCB NEWS`November 7
 

Ritsumeikan University:PFAS Decomposed into Fluoride Ions Using Low-Toxicity Semiconductor Nanomaterials

A research team led by Professor Yoichi Kobayashi of the College of Life Sciences at Ritsumeikan University, together with Shuhei Kanao, a master's student in the Graduate School of Life Sciences, has successfully decomposed and detoxified gforever chemicalsh known as PFAS (per-and polyfluoroalkyl substances)?which pose environmental and health risks. Specifically, they achieved the breakdown of perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which is internationally regulated, and perfluorooctanesulfonic acid (PFOS), known for its extreme resistance to degradation.

The team demonstrated that by combining low-toxicity, inexpensive, and mass-producible zinc oxide (ZnO) semiconductor nanocrystals with a commercially available near-ultraviolet LED light source, PFAS can be decomposed into fluoride ions under ambient temperature and pressure conditions.

The resulting fluoride ions can be reused as fluorspar (calcium fluoride), the mineral raw material used in industry.

FPD/PCB NEWS`November 6
 

Nagoya University Researchers Achieve Sub-Nanometer Thickness Control of Amorphous Silica Nanosheets

A research group led by Assistant Professor Eisuke Yamamoto and Professor Minoru Nagata at the Institute of Materials and Systems for Sustainability (IMaSS), Nagoya University, has successfully synthesized amorphous silica nanosheets whose thickness can be precisely controlled at the sub-nanometer level, using a solid-phase surfactant templating method.

By employing solid-phase surfactants containing polyethylene oxide (PEO) chains as templates, the researchers were able to freely tune the nanosheet thickness through molecular design of the surfactants. The resulting nanosheets exhibited high dispersion stability, and it was confirmed that they could form densely packed two-dimensional films.

Further investigation into the influence of nanosheet thickness on their properties revealed that, although the band gap remained constant regardless of thickness, thinner nanosheets showed higher dielectric breakdown strength.

FPD/PCB NEWS`November 5
 

JSR and IBM to Strengthen Semiconductor Materials Development Using AI

JSR and IBM have signed a Joint Research Agreement to launch a collaborative research program focused on AI for the chemical industry.

Through the expansion of foundation models specialized in materials development and the utilization of generative AI to enhance data infrastructure, the two companies aim to build an integrated platform for managing diverse material systems. They also plan to conduct joint research to establish knowledge frameworks that enable the understanding and modeling of a wide variety of material representations.

FPD/PCB NEWS`November 4
 

SCREEN Acquires Nikon's R&D Business for Wafer Bonding Technology

SCREEN Holdings announced to acquire Nikon's research and development business related to wafer bonding technology.

SCREEN positions the advanced packaging field as a key strategic area and has been promoting the development and implementation of low-temperature wafer bonding technologies, in addition to marketing direct imaging systems and coater/dryers. Through this acquisition, SCREEN aims to integrate Nikon's ultra-high-precision bonding technologies and expertise with its own existing technologies, pursuing the realization of world-leading wafer bonding capabilities.