According to the newest market report from IDC, it shows that China's multimedia tablet device market volume to reach 855,000 total units, which accounted for nearly 60% of Apple's market share in the first quarter of 2011.
However, with such market conditions along with the rising demand for tablet PCs and the transfer of certain mid-to-small size products to the Gen5 production line, the demand for 0.3mm or even 0.2mm slim glass has been rising up.
In the past years, because of the limitation of panel production equipment the, glass substrate makers have been reluctant to increase product complexity which could cause the loss of production capacity. Therefore the thicknesses of glass substrates are fixed among production lines of all generations. WV research indicated that the mainstream thickness of traditional glass substrate in Gen5 panel production line is 0.5mm.
However, along with the rising demand for tablet PCs and the transfer of certain mid-to-small size products to the Gen5 production line, the demand for 0.3mm or even 0.2mm slim glass has been rising up.
Traditionally panel makers will reduce the thickness of 0.5mm glass substrate and colour filter to 0.3mm or 0.2mm with chemical etching method. However, in light of significantly increased demand, limited production capacity, and greatly increased overall cost of chemical etchings, panel makers are considering making related products directly on 0.3mm glass substrates. Considering the high cost but low yield of equipment modification for 0.3mm, the short-term plan for panel maker is to make 0.4mm glass substrate the mainstream thickness for Gen5 production line and to lower overall production cost through reduction of time required for substrate thinning to 0.3mm.
In terms of the supply of glass substrate, WV research thinks that along with the diversified panel demands for associated glass substrates such as TFT substrate, LTPS substrate and cover glass, glass makers have modified their previous stubborn attitudes towards glass thickness specifications with the hope that through production of slim glass, the production volume can be increased without increasing capital expenditure for new glass furnaces. By enhancing the production scale and capacity of slim glass, it is hopeful that the price of slim glass can get closer to existing product to stimulate the continuous growing demands from panel makers for slim glass.
WV research points out that with the gradual maturation of existing panel products; the rising demand for slim semiconductor products has become the recent highlight. Both the supply side and demand side of glass substrate have been developing along this direction based on the considerations of cost, production scale and price strategy. Therefore we can foresee that the conversion to slim glass becomes the major revolution for panel production process within one or two years.
Aticle source: http://www.hqew.net/events/news-article/279.html
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