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ON DISPLAY

Dow nabs breakthrough deal

Dow Chemical of Midland, MI, was awarded a contract from the United States Display Consortium (USDC) to develop a plastic substrate that could dramatically change the way FPDs are made and used, asserts Michael Ciesinski, the consortium's president. Ciesinski calls the use of plastic instead of glass substrates "a highly desirable alternative" for a range of military, aviation, and consumer applications. The curved surface enabled by plastic would allow display makers to build panoramic screens for cockpits, for instance. Plastic displays are lighter than glass ones and better able to withstand rugged use, Ciesinski points out. The budget for the Dow project, which is set for completion in March 1998, is $3.5 million.

USDC also signed an agreement with Display Technology Systems (DTS) of St. Paul, MN, to develop a tool to clean, align, and seal both field-emission displays and plasma display panels in an ultra-high-vacuum environment. The vacuum program will cost $3.6 million. Equipment developed in the program would enable FPD manufacturers to place both anodes or cathodes (FEDs) or faceplates and substrates (PDPs) into the system, etch the components, then align and seal them to form a finished panel without exposing the cleaned parts to the air. In-vacuum assembly would enable FED manufacturers to compete with AMLCD manufacturers, says DTS. Both Dow and DTS are sharing the cost of each project equally with the consortium.

Tegal takes Japanese orders

A Japanese research organization representing major FPD manufacturers in Japan purchased two Tegal 6500 HRe^- series etchers, the vendor announced. The systems will be used to develop dry etch process techniques for an FPD projection display on square quartz substrates. The order represents a new application for the systems, a 6510 to etch dielectrics for contact and via-type structures and a 6520 to etch aluminum alloy interconnects. The latter tool features a proprietary etch-rinse-strip-rinse module that reduces residue by removing reaction by-products. Petaluma, CA­based Tegal would not disclose the name of the research group. Delivery of the tools is set for completion by the end of 1997.

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