Tosoh Corp. has developed a method for manufacturing one ton quartz ingots and plans to use the technology to mass-produce giant photomasks for makers of LCD panels starting in 2007.
Synthetic quartz…
Tosoh Corp. has developed a method for manufacturing one ton quartz ingots and plans to use the technology to mass-produce giant photomasks for makers of LCD panels starting in 2007. Synthetic quartz photomasks are used to transfer circuit patterns to the glass substrates from which LCD panels are made. Panel makers have begun using larger glass substrates, as this boosts productivity for large LCD panels, but the so-called eighth-generation of glass substrates, which measure 2.16 x 2.46 meters, are etched using photomasks that are at most only around 1 sq. meter in size. The photomask thus has to be moved around to etch the entire glass substrate, and efficiency will suffer a further decline when LCD panel makers move up to even-larger 10th-generation substrates. The largest synthetic quartz ingots now weigh around 300kg, but Tosoh has developed a way to make ingots that weigh one ton. The process takes nearly two months, but the giant ingots can be made without crinkling caused by bubbles. Tosoh will manufacture the quartz ingots at its development and manufacturing subsidiary, Tosoh SGM Corp., and then send them to Tosoh Quartz Corp. for slicing. The company will begin by supplying photomasks that are around 1 sq. meter in size, but as the LCD panel makers move to larger glass substrates, Tosoh will supply the photomasks in larger sizes. The company is targeting sales of several billion yen in 2008.