Denso Supplies EL Display for Pachinko Machines
NEC to Boost LCD Driver Manufacturing
JVC Develops Buildup Substrate with Embedded Passives
FHP Develops Enhanced Brightness PDP with Longer Life
Hitachi to Market Bluetooth Chipset for Cell Phones
Canon Providing Equipment for 5th-Generation TFT-LCD Lines

Component-maker Denso has begun supplying its clear EL (electroluminescent) displays for use in Pachinko machines – the quintessentially Japanese pinball arcade machines that represent a major market for small-format displays in the country. It is the first time Denso has supplied EL displays outside the automotive industry, and also the first time Denso has developed business relationships with the makers of Pachinko machines.

Denso’s EL displays have been used in the instrument panels in Toyota luxury cars designed for the Japanese market, such as the Celsior and Majesta. An emissive layer between two glass covers can display graphical patterns when voltage is applied. Denso’s EL display is characterized by good performance at cold temperatures and a response time faster than that of LCD technology. Denso has indicated plans to supply 50,000 EL displays annually to an Okayama-based Pachinko slot machine maker. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

NEC plans to raise production of LCD driver ICs at its manufacturing subsidiary by 50 percent. The firm will invest 3 billion yen ($29.08 million @ yen/$US 1) and will boost manufacturing capacity to 9000 wafers a month from the current 6000 wafers. Although in general Japanese semiconductor manufacturers are curtailing capital investment in 2002, NEC’s LCD driver ICs are selling well for use in cellular phones and personal computers. Its manufacturing subsidiary NEC Kansai in Shiga Prefecture, Japan, is currently producing driver ICs on 200 mm wafers. By utilizing manufacturing equipment which had been in use at NEC Semiconductors UK, which terminated its operations in April 2002, reports indicate that NEC can reduce the required investment by 40 percent as compared to buying new manufacturing equipment. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

JVC (Victor Corporation of Japan) showcased its buildup substrate with integrated passive components at the JPCA Show 2002, which was held in June 2002 in Tokyo. The newly developed substrate can place resisters, capacitors, and inductors within the substrate during the manufacturing process.

In comparison to conventional processes, in which these passive components are mounted on the substrate after it has been fabricated, the distances between active components and passive components are reduced with the JVC technology, and system performance improved. JVC reports that it can integrate capacitors with 10-500 ohm/square sheet resistance, as well as capacitors with 10-20pF/mm2 capacity, and thus achieve a Q value >= 40 at 1GHz, <=5nH. The technology is consistent with the manufacture of high frequency modules. In the future, JVC plans to improve the reliability and manufacturability of the technology and commercialize it in 2004. [M. Robertson]

Fujitsu Hitachi Plasma Display (FHP) of Japan announced that it has the H2 series of PDPs (Plasma Display Panels), which are about 30 percent brighter than previously existing PDPs. The H2 series will begin commercial shipment in summer 2002. Reports in the Japanese trade press indicate that the series will include a 42-inch model (1000cd/m2), a 37-inch model (900cd/m2), and a 32-inch model (900cd/m2).

FHP achieved higher brightness with the H2 by introducing a revised driving method and by increasing the efficiency of the phosphors it uses. Color purity has also been enhanced with the new phosphors, one of which was developed for each of red, green, and blue. The FHP design is also reported to extend the life of the PDP panels. Power consumption is 270W for the 42-inch model, 220W for the 37-inch, and 170W for the 32-inch. PDP TVs using the new panels will become available in the Japanese market later this year. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

Hitachi, Ltd. has announced that it will introduce a cellular phone chipset that supports Bluetooth. This is the first time that Hitachi has released a commercial device that supports Bluetooth. Hitachi combined a 32-bit RISC microprocessor, the SH7630, together with a device that handles wireless signal processing, the HD157100. The SH7630 can process Bluetooth signals as well as controlling operation of the entire product. The SH7630 is priced at 2200 yen ($17@ yen 130/$US 1) and the HD157100 at 800 yen ($6). Hitachi has announced that it will begin sample shipments of the new devices in October 2002. In March 2003, Hitachi plans to be manufacturing 50,000 sets a month. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]

Canon Corporation will beef up production of LCD exposure equipment, largely to meet demand for apparatus for 5th-generation display production facilities. The company expects to ship 20 percent more exposure equipment units (60 units) this year than it originally planned, as Korean and Taiwanese panel producers move aggressively to adopt 5th-generation technology, which is based on a glass substrate size of 1100 mm x 1250 mm. Canon expects 50 of the 60 units it sells this year will be to support 5th generation fabrication processes.

Nikon and Canon dominate the LCD exposure equipment market. The annual market demand is estimated at 150 units; however, the two firms are having trouble producing enough equipment to satisfy this demand. In 2001, Canon sold 37 exposure equipment units, while Nikon sold 62. Canon, however, began offering 5th-generation exposure equipment before Nikon, and anticipates that its sales will exceed those of Nikon this year. Nikon plans to introduce its competing 5th-generation exposure equipment in spring 2003, and competition between the two is expected to heat up again when that happens. [M. Robertson, Portelligent]