INDUSTRY NEWS

Display Works

Industry leaders are scheduled to meet during the second annual Display Works event to lay the groundwork for publication of the FPD industry's first formal technological roadmap. A roadmap workshop is scheduled for January 27 at the Hilton Hotel in San Jose during the week of Display Works 97. The purpose of the document is to foster development of a strong industry infrastructure. The workshop is designed to provide both toolmakers and materials suppliers with information that will enable them to be competitive in the U.S. and global markets. The roadmap will be published in the middle of this year.

According to its sponsors, Display Works 97 will attract 50% more exhibiting companies than last year's inaugural event, which featured 147 exhibitors. Last year's conference and exhibition were attended by 2,345 persons. The vertically integrated event is sponsored by USDC, SEMI, and the Society for Information Display. The conference and exhibition will take place at the San Jose Convention Center, January 27–31. In addition to the roadmap workshop, a business conference, a ruggedized display roundtable, and an investors conference are also on tap. Information on these events is available at 408/277-2400. Exhibition and registration information: 415/964-5111; technical conference information: 703/413-3891.

U.S., South Korea to cooperate

USDC and its South Korean counterpart will meet twice annually to discuss areas of mutual concern under the terms of an agreement signed recently by the two organizations. USDC and the Electronic Display Industrial Research Association of Korea (EDIRAK) signed a memorandum of understanding that will facilitate cooperation in setting industry standards and establishing a strong manufacturing infrastructure, according to Malcolm Thompson, chairman of USDC's governing board. The memorandum also establishes working groups that will explore collaborative research into emissive and nonemissive display technology.

Michael Ciesinski, the consortium's CEO, notes that the accord allows the organizations to draw from each other's strength—USDC's in infrastructure development and market assessments and EDIRAK's in technology development. Ciesinski believes that the memorandum will encourage a range of cooperative efforts on the part of the organizations' member companies. These efforts could include sponsoring and funding university-based research as well as company-to-company R&D.

Eaton forms display division

Seeking to tap into a growing worldwide market, Eaton Semiconductor Equipment Operations (SEO) has formed a flat-panel equipment group that will target Japanese display producers. The new business unit, called Eaton Flat Panel Equipment (FPE), will share space with Eaton's chip equipment operations at SEO's headquarters in Beverly, MA. The vendor cites statistics from market research firm Stanford Resources showing a current global market of $9.2 billion growing to $15.2 billion in revenues by 2002. Eaton believes it can transfer its expertise in ion implantation technology to the display industry through its tool, the ORion NV6072 flat-panel ion implanter. The technology enables producers to improve the performance of thin-film transistors and reduce manufacturing costs, according to Eaton.

The vendor notes that 90% of the new group's customers are based primarily in Japan, with South Korea and Taiwan expected to increase production over the next five years. For that reason, FPE plans to design its tools specifically for sale to the Asia/Pacific market. Its ion implantation equipment incorporates robotics that can handle glass substrates up to 600 × 720 mm at industry-standard throughputs, Eaton says.

Web site debuts

Market data and information about various sectors of the electronic display industry are provided on a web site set up by Stanford Resources. The San Jose–based market research firm, which specializes in the global display industry, has divided the site into five sections covering cathode-ray tubes, flat panels, custom reports, Flat Information Display Conference updates, and display news. The site's address is www.stanfordresources.com.

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