Flat-panel display cleanroom markets and needs

摘要

Flat-panel displays (FPDs) are a high-growth segment of the cleanroom industry, particularly in Asia. So while it is a very important market in this region, it is a small market in North America and Europe. Liquid crystal displays (LCDs) are the most common type of flat-panel displays and have been widely used since the early 1970s. LCDs account for about 80 percent of the entire flat-panel market, with thin-film transistor liquid crystal displays (TFT-LCDs) a large percentage of that. TFT-LCDs are used in notebook computers, desktop monitors and TVs. Other technologies are organic light-emitting diode (OLED), plasma display panels (PDP), field emission displays (FEDs), and flexible panels. The OLED industry has experienced high annual growth rates due to the increased demand for small displays for cell phones, MP3 players and car stereos. Some of the world's largest cleanrooms are in flat-panel display manufacturing facilities. A flat-panel plant in Asia has clean-room space five times larger than the largest U.S. 300 mm chip plant. Although a flat-panel display facility has many similarities to a semiconductor fab, it also has several important differences. For example, in flat-panel display manufacturing, there is little concern regarding molecular contaminants. Due to the nature of the techniques, these do not greatly affect device operation.