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FPD/PCB NEWS～October 18


JOLED installed a large tiled OLED at the Nomi Furusato Museum

JOLED announced that a large tiled display that combines 30 units of JOLED displays has been installed at the Nomi Furusato Museum in Nomi City, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan.

The large tiled display which is installed in the entrance hall of the Nomi Furusato Museum was unveiled at the event held on October 16, 2021 to commemorate the first anniversary of the museum. The impressive large screen of about 1.9 x 3.8m consists of 30 units of 27-inch 4K OLED displays and projects attractive and beautiful images of Nomi City.

FPD/PCB NEWS～October 8


Iwatani stablished the Helium Center in Thailand

Iwatani Corporation (Thailand), a wholly owned subsidiary of the Iwatani Corporation, is newly constructing the Bangkok Gas Center (in Samut Sakhon Province), which will open in November 2021.

The center is the base for filling industrial gas, mainly helium, and is the second helium base in Southeast Asia after the first base in Malaysia.

FPD/PCB NEWS～October 6


Showa Denko Materials to Launch Mass Production of an Advanced Functional Laminate Material for PCB

Showa Denko Materials announced the mass production of the “MCL-E-795G” series, an advanced functional laminate material for PCB, starting in October 2021. MCL-E-795G achieves high packaging reliability such as low warpage and high heat resistance required for semiconductor package substrates used for large servers in data centers and high-performance computing (HPC).

The company has realized superior low warpage properties by, for example, applying low CTE (coefficient of thermal expansion) resins and increasing the filler content, resulting in a 15 - 20 % warpage reduction from its conventional models when packaging the “MCL-E-795G” series. In particular, the type LH combining low CTE glass cloth can reduce warpage by additional 20 %.

FPD/PCB NEWS～September 24


JSR to Establish a New Subsidiary for Semiconductor Materials Business in Singapore

JSR announced to establish a subsidiary in Singapore, "JSR Electronic Materials Singapore”, to strengthen the sales and marketing activities of the Semiconductor materials business in Singapore and Southeast Asia. The operation is scheduled to start around December.

FPD/PCB NEWS～September 21


Tokyo Electron Completes Construction of the Miyagi Technology Innovation Center

Tokyo Electron announced the construction completion of the Miyagi Technology Innovation Center in Miyagi, Japan where a manufacturing subsidiary of TEL is located.

Housed on the center's first floor are a lab area for co-creation with business partners and a training center for customers. An open innovation area occupies a part of the first and second floors. Total floor area is 19,400 m2 (including ancillary facilities).

FPD/PCB NEWS～September 13


Toshiba developed polymer film-based Perovskite photovoltaic module with PCE of 15.1%

Toshiba, the world-leader in development of perovskite photovoltaic modules for next-generation solar power generation, announced to develop a new coating method for the perovskite layer that boosts power conversion efficiency (PCE) to 15.1% for 703cm2 module, the highest for any large, polymer film-based perovskite photovoltaic module. The innovative coating method for perovskite layer also greatly reduces production time and costs, contributing to a lower cost for solar power generation.

The company previously developed a two-step coating process that first applied a layer of PbI2 (lead iodide) ink to a substrate, followed by a layer of MAI (methyammonium iodide, CH3NH3I) ink, triggering a reaction that formed an MAPbI3 layer. However, this multi-step approach had a low coating rate and often left unreacted sections in the perovskite layer. The alternative is a one-step process that applies MAPbI3 ink directly, but it is not easy to control crystallization of the MAPbI3 and obtain a uniform perovskite layer across a large area. A new coating method that solves these problems was required.

The company has developed a one-step meniscus coating method that uses improved ink, film drying processes and production equipment to form a uniform perovskite layer over an area as large as 703cm2. These innovations halve the steps for deposition of the perovskite layer, and raise the coating speed to 6 meters per minute on a 5×5 cm2 module, a rate that meets requirements for mass production.

The company previously reported 703cm2 polymer film-based perovskite photovoltaic modules, the one-step meniscus coating method achieves a PCE of 15.1%, the world's highest ever for a polymer film-based large-area perovskite photovoltaic module. This higher PCE and the faster, simplified production process, significantly advance progress toward the commercialization of highly efficient, low-cost, polymer film-based perovskite photovoltaic modules.

FPD/PCB NEWS～August 24


Sumitomo Chemical to Expand Production Capacity for High-Purity Chemicals for Semiconductors at its Ehime Works and in South Korea

Sumitomo Chemical announced to expand its production capacity for high-purity chemicals for semiconductors.

The Company will install new production lines to double the capacity for high-purity sulfuric acid at its Ehime Works (Niihama city, Ehime) and increase the capacity for high-purity ammonia water at the Iksan Plant of Dongwoo Fine-Chem, a wholly owned subsidiary in South Korea, by approximately 40%. The new production lines are due to commence operation in the first half of fiscal 2024 for Ehime Works, and the second half of fiscal 2023 for the Iksan Plant.

FPD/PCB NEWS～August 23


Sumitomo Chemical to Construct Chemical Recycling Pilot Facility for Acrylic Resin to Reduce Impact on the Environment

Sumitomo Chemical announced to construct a pilot facility for chemical recycling of acrylic resin (PMMA, poly-methyl-methacrylate) at its Ehime Works in Niihama City, Ehime Prefecture, Japan.

The new facility is scheduled to begin pilot tests in the fall of 2022 and to start providing samples in 2023. In parallel with this project, the Company will work to develop a recycling system for PMMA, from collection of used acrylic resin to recycling and reprocessing into products, aiming for early commercialization of chemically recycled PMMA.