ITRI Demonstrates Its Own Inkjet Color-filter Production Technique

Taipei, Sept. 27, 2005 (CENS)--The Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) recently demonstrated an inkjet technology for the production of 3.5-generation (3.5G) color filters for computer monitors.

According to ITRI, the new technology could replace existing spiral-coating techniques in the future for the production of color filters for thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) panels. The institute added that it has developed a comprehensive color-filter inkjet solution for manufacturing the filters, from providing the materials, to assisting with the production processes, and supplying equipment, which can also be applied to the production of 8G filters.

ITRI developed the color-filter injection technique in cooperation with three local partners, including Allied Material Technology Corp., Nano Dynamics Inc. and Built-In Precision Machine Co., Ltd., under a Science and Technology Promotion project partly sponsored by the government.

Cheng Wu-hsun, director general of ITRI's Union Chemical Laboratories (UCL), said that UCL has completed all the development for the 3.5G color-filter injection production technique and is moving forward to 8G applications. With the new techniques, Cheng claimed, color-filter production costs are expected to go down significantly, while the color fullness and penetration rate will be better than offered by existing filters.

In addition to color filters, Cheng said, the technique can also be applied to the production of other optoelectronics parts such as light-guide panels, printed circuit boards (PCBs), and plastic display panels.

Yu Tsung-tse, chairman of Allied Material, a TFT-LCD color filter maker in Taiwan, said that in addition to ITRI, currently only Canon of Japan has announced R&D achievements in inkjet-related color-filter production techniques, but the company's technology requires a special ink-absorption layer on the color-filter surface for the ink to adhere to.

With specially developed ink materials, Yu explained, the ITRI-developed inkjet technique can be applied directly onto the surface of color-filter substrates. The water-soluble ink is environmentally friendly and renders colors extremely well.

The Ministry of Economic Affairs (MOEA) awarded a total of NT$120 million (US$3.63 million at US$1: NT$33.1) to the project, which was completed in two years.

Industry sources pointed out that the new inkjet production technique is expected to save up to 90% of the production cost for color filters, which account for about 28% of the cost of a TFT-LCD panel module. They also added that the relatively high cost share of color filters has driven many local TFT-LCD panel makers to jump into development of inkjet production techniques to prepare for the future production of larger-size panels. These makers include AU Optronics Corp. (AUO), Chunghwa Picture Tubes, Ltd. (CPT), and Innolux Display Corp.