Flat-Panel Display Technologies - Japan, Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus (Hardcover)

Large-scale manufacturing of liquid crystal flat-panel displays (LCDs) by Japan brought the world's attention to the existence of an enormous market potential that exists when there are alternatives to the cathode ray tube (CAT). The Japanese have recognized that new display technologies are critical to making their products highly competitive in the world market. The cathode-ray tube (CAT) is losing market share to the solid-state, driven matrix flat-panel display (FPD). The Japanese estimate that by the year 2000, the sales volume of CATs and liquid-crystal FPDs will be shared 50/50. The passive matrix liquid crystal display (LCD), the electro-luminescent display panel, the plasma panel, and now the active matrix LCD are being introduced for computer and television displays.

The breakup of the Soviet Union opened laboratories of research and development facilities previously inaccessible to the West. Zelenograd is an example: An entire city with a military mission did not even appear on earlier maps, yet it is filled with state-of-the-art electronic technology. Of more significance, technology in the countries of the former Soviet Union (FSU) is becoming available to the West, and FSU companies are seeking partners, investment, and manufacturing opportunities.

Flat-panel displays are currently regarded as a critical technology in the United States. The technology can affect the cost of portable computers; as a result, computer manufacturers recognize a need to control the manufacturing of flat-panel displays. The optoelectronic Industrial Development Association estimates it to be a $20 billion industry, expected to exceed $35 billion in the year 2000.

The workhorse of theindustry has been the cathode ray tube, sales of which are also on the increase, although other display technologies continue to develop and establish new markets. In the 1980s nearly all U.S. companies dropped their display programs. Today many of these same companies are reconsidering their decisions. Japan currently holds more than 90% of the world market; its principal products are the active matrix liquid crystal display and the super-twisted nematic (STN) display. These displays are applicable primarily to portable devices because of their low power requirements.

This book is developed from the reports issued by investigators based on their field visits to 33 sites in Japan, and 36 sites in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus.