| Samsung Corning held a completion ceremony for the ITO nano powder manufacturing facility within the Gumi plant on October 9. President Yong Ro Song, the CEO of Samsung Corning and Mr. Wook Son, the head of Samsung Institute of Advanced Technology, as well as 300 Samsung employees and directors attended the ceremony. During the ceremony, President Yong Ro Song stated, “the nano material business will be intensively developed as one of Samsung Corning’s core future businesses.” The ITO nano powder that will be manufactured at the completed facility is a key material used in coating an ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) thin film onto LCDs, PDPs and OLEDs for conduction and transparency. • ITO: Indium Tin Oxide • ITO nano powder: nano-sized powder used to create an ITO target • ITO target: a key material used in coating an ITO (indium Tin Oxide) thin film onto LCDs, PDPs and OLEDs for conduction and transparency In the past Samsung Corning has been wholly dependent on Japanese imports for the powder required to manufacture ITO targets for flat panel displays including LCDs, PDPs and OLEDs. But with the newly secured manufacturing capabilities for ITO nano powder, Samsung Corning will be able to provide a more stable supply of ITO target products to domestic flat panel display manufacturers. Moreover, Samsung Corning expects to realize KRW100 billion in savings, in the next five years until 2007, through import replacement, which will reduce delivery time and transportation costs. The nano powder technology was developed through joint-development with Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology and involves a wet processing method, which utilizes a solution and precipitation reaction. The key to the technology is producing nano powders with a purity of 99.999% and particle size distribution of 60~80 nano-meters by recycling used targets. Samsung Corning developed the nano technology in 2000 through ANT, a research affiliate based in Australia. Last year the nano business was launched with the start of pilot production of ceria nano powder for polishing semiconductor wafers. A Samsung Corning official said, " The completion of the nano powder manufacturing facility represents the start of the second phase of the business, , following the ceria nano powder for polishing semiconductor wafers. Samsung Corning has now established the foundation to become the leader in the nano powder business. |