Japan“s Sharp Corp. and Nippon Paint Co. will jointly conduct research and development on colour filters used in plastic super twisted nematic (STN) liquid crystal displays, the two companies announc…
Japan“s Sharp Corp. and Nippon Paint Co. will jointly conduct research and development on colour filters used in plastic super twisted nematic (STN) liquid crystal displays, the two companies announced recently. Nippon Paint will sell its Okayama Prefecture facility which makes colour filters – key components of colour LCDs – to Sharp at the end of March for an estimated 1-2 billion yen (US$ 9.18-18.36 million). The Okayama plant has the capacity to produce colour filters for 2 million 1.5-2 inch displays a month. Nippon Paint will focus its energy on developing and producing materials used in colour filters once it sells the plant and will supply the materials to the consumer electronics giant. Osaka-based Sharp will use the materials to make colour filters, which it is expected to begin mass-producing at the Okayama plant by the end of this year. Sharp forecasts that some 30% of Japan“s cellular phones will have a colour display within this year. The company hopes the in-house production of colour filters for use in thin, lightweight colour displays will help it boost its share of the market for LCDs used in cellular phones and other mobile terminals.