Nikon Corp. has spent JPY 2.3 billion to build a plant to produce photomask substrates used to make LCD panels.
The new plant is near Tokyo in Kanagawa Prefecture and will focus on the latest eighth-…
Nikon Corp. has spent JPY 2.3 billion to build a plant to produce photomask substrates used to make LCD panels. The new plant is near Tokyo in Kanagawa Prefecture and will focus on the latest eighth-generation technology, which enables manufacturers to cut more panels from a single sheet of glass, reducing costs. It features a clean room as well as large polishing machines and test equipment. Although the facility has already started producing and shipping products, it must still move from fifth- to eighth-generation output. The aim is to reach this goal in the fiscal year ending March 2009, producing 50 units a month. The new factory will allow the firm to put in place a total production system ranging from silica glass manufacturing through cutting and polishing. Nikon processed silica glass substrates entirely in-house until recently, but now passes some of the polishing work to outside contractors. Shin-Etsu Chemical Co. is the world“s top supplier of photomask substrates for LCD panels. Nikon estimates that the global market was worth roughly JPY 20 billion in 2006 and aims to take a JPY7 billion share of it by the year ending March 2010.