Tokyo Electron and Epson Conclude Joint Development Agreement for OLED Display Manufacturing Technology

TOKYO, Japan - Tokyo Electron Limited (TEL) and Seiko Epson Corporation (Epson) announced the conclusion of a joint development agreement for organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display manufacturing technology.

Processes for forming a uniform film of organic material on substrates are essential in the manufacture of OLED displays, and the technique currently in general use is vacuum thermal evaporation (VTE), which uses masks in a vacuum to form the film on the substrate. However, manufacturers must improve productivity and develop efficient manufacturing technologies, such as those incorporating next-generation inkjet methods* for film formation, before volume production of OLED displays can become a reality.

Epson established organic material uniform film forming technology using the inkjet method and possesses many technologies central to the manufacture of OLED displays. Epson has also accumulated expertise in industrial inkjet technologies including the development and sale of large-application devices for LCD television color filter coating applicators.

TEL develops and sells products including etch/ash systems and coater/developers for state-of-the-art ultra-large substrates in its flat panel display (FPD) production equipment business. TEL also has service bases around the world to enable provision of a range of high-quality services.

This joint development project will make use of the strengths of each company to integrate OLED display manufacturing technologies using Epson’s inkjet method with TEL’s production equipment technology. The two companies will undertake the joint development with the aim of creating next-generation OLED display manufacturing technologies as a total solution package.

* Methods employing inkjet printer principles in order to accurately apply the required volumes of organic materials to the required locations.

About Epson
Epson is a global imaging and innovation leader that is dedicated to exceeding the vision of customers worldwide through its compact, energy-saving, high-precision technologies, with a product lineup ranging from printers and 3LCD projectors for business and the home, to electronic and crystal devices.
Led by the Japan-based Seiko Epson Corporation, the Epson Group comprises nearly 80,000 employees in 102 companies around the world, and is proud of its ongoing contributions to the global environment and the communities in which it operates.
http://global.epson.com/

About Tokyo Electron
TEL develops, manufactures, and sells a wide range of products in its role as a leading supplier of semiconductor production equipment (SPE). TEL also uses the specialized technologies that it accumulated in the field of SPE for flat panel display (FPD) production equipment and photovoltaic cell production equipment. TEL has acquired a major share of the global market for both its SPE and FPD production equipment. Established in 1963, TEL has consolidated net sales of 418,600 million yen (fiscal year ended March 2010).
further information please visit: http://www.tel.com/eng/