A new plant for LTPS TFT LCD panels started operation in April
as scheduled, and successfully launched as an SOG base facility.

Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd. began construction of the new plant within the premises of our Ishikawa Works (Nomi-gun, Ishikawa Prefecture) in April last year and reached the start of operations in April this year to produce low-temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) liquid crystal display (LCD) panels. Production in the new plant has taken off with a successful level of performance in terms of both the input capacity and the production yield, as well as reaching the expected target for the shipment of final products. The opening ceremony for the plant has been held today, on July 19.

The market for small to medium-sized TFT LCDs is expected to grow in the future for a wide variety of applications, including mobile phones and vehicle-mounted devices. In order to keep up with this active demand in the market and the increasingly diversified requirements, we believe that providing a stable supply of multi-functional, high-quality LTPS LCD products on a timely basis is an essential task for us as the leading company in mass production technology for the world's most advanced LTPS LCD panels. The Ishikawa Works with the new plant is positioned as our third production base for LTPS LCD panels following the Fukaya Works (Fukaya City, Saitama Prefecture) and AFPD (an affiliated company in Singapore) and it is planned to successively increase productivity to meet our customer needs. Monthly production for mobile applications has now reached 10 million units in total (in terms of 2.2-inch panels), including the output of the existing production lines.

The new plant plans to have a monthly production capacity of 5.5 million LCD panels (in terms of 2.2-inch panels,as of April 2007) made from a glass substrate measuring 730 mm × 920 mm with a thickness of 0.5 mm (a 4th generation, thinner glass substrate), which are suitable for mobile applications. The production line is designed to accommodate leading-edge technologies such as SOG (System On Glass) to allow the integration of peripheral IC circuitry and any additional functions into the LCD panel and OCB (Optically Compensated Bend) to provide the industry's highest level of display performance, including viewing angle and a faster response time even at low temperatures. This means that the new plant can flexibly respond to varying customer needs by producing higher value-added LTPS LCD panels.

The start of full-scale production in the new plant designed as an SOG base facility helps us to provide the added value for every customer that is derived from our proprietary SOG technology. The innovations offered by SOG technology include a shortened time to market achieved by a lead time reduction in both the procurement of component parts and the production processes due to the integration of peripheral IC circuits onto the glass substrate. 
They also includes the integration of multiple functions, such as input functions due to the integration of sensor capability, and the higher reliability due to minimum required number of electrical connections to any external circuitry. With these features, we expect to be able to make an even greater contribution to the business development of our customers. 

      
   

Outline of the new plant 

Location	26-2 Aza Yamada-Senden, Kawakita-machi, Nomi-gun, Ishikawa Prefecture (within the premises of the existing Ishikawa Works)
Building construction	4-story building of steel frame construction
Total floor area	34,245 ㎡
Start of operations	April 2006
Substrate size	730 x 920 x 0.5 thickness (mm) : 4th generation, thinner glass substrate
Production capacity as of April 2007	20,000 sheets/month Approx. 5.5 million units/month (in terms of 2.2-inch panels)

* About Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd.
In April 2002, Toshiba Corporation and Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd. merged their LCD businesses into a new joint venture company, Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd, now known as TMDisplay. The new company brings together each company's strengths and capabilities in LCD technology to satisfy a broad range of customer requirements and market segments.
Today, Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd. is the worldwide leader in the field of TFT LCD module for mobile use. 
 

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