New fab to cut the cost of large LCD panels: News from Display Technology

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Display Technology, Samsung's sole UK distributor for industrial LCD panels, has revealed that Samsung has successfully concluded pilot testing of its latest production line. This is a major technological innovation which will allow Samsung and Display Technology to reduce the price of large size LCD TFT panels. Equipment installation at the new seventh-generation fabrication plant began in early August and pilot testing of the equipment and assembly processes took just under three months.

Samsung's second line will replicate the equipment and processes now being used at the S-LCD Line 7-1, a joint venture between Samsung and Sony.

By committing to the 1870 x 2200mm substrate size on both lines 7-1 and 7-2, Samsung has moved aggressively to standardize TV panel sizes at 40 and 46in.

From a single substrate, eight 40in panels or six 46in panels can be produced with extremely high glass efficiency.

The new Gen 7 fab, which will produce 90,000-off 1870 x 2200mm substrates per month when fully operational.

It is a state-of-the art facility that uses Samsung's advanced, four mask (silicon-etching), array process.

First-phase production of line 7-2 will begin in April 2006.

Second-phase production commences in the second half of 2006.

Line 7-1 produces 60 thousand substrates per month.

With the additional 90,000 substrates from line 7-2, Samsung will produce the industry's highest volume capacity of large-size LCD TV panels at 150,000 substrates per month, or the equivalent of 1.2 million 40in panels monthly.

Samsung Electronics, which recorded double-digit operating profit margins (11%) in 3Q 2005, has been the number one producer of TFT-LCDs since 2002, on a revenue basis.

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