Flat panel display industry

Figure 1.1. Growth of semiconductor and flat panel display industries. [Data Source Semiconductor industry sales data from Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) and flat panel display data from Displaysearch Corp, San Jose, CA.]...

Eor larger stack panels, one might investigate the emerging standards being developed in the Flat Panel Display industry. Professional organizations in the flat panel industry such as SPIE (http //www.spie.org/) and SID (http //www.sid.org/) are good sources of information. 

Since the Flat Panel Display industry must confront the problems of bonding and sealing relatively large areas with special atmospheric requirements (vacuums and/or special process gases), the equipment suppliers in this industry also may serve as a good source of information. 

When techniques for producing smooth, adherant diamond films are developed, it is expected that they will have extensive application in the semiconductor packaging industry because of diamond s high thermal conductivity (about five times that of copper) and high electrical resistivity. Diamond can also be used as a cold cathode electron emitter and, as such, is of interest in the flat panel display industry. Diamond films may also provide protection to surfaces in low Earth orbit where oxygen erosion is a problem. 

Some of the present industrial uses of diamond coatings include cutting tools, optical windows, heat spreaders, acoustic wave filters, flat-panel displays, photomultiplier and microwave power tubes, night vision devices, and sensors. Because its thermal conductivity and electrical insulation qualities are high, diamond is used for heat sinks in x- ray windows, circuit packaging, and high-power electroific devices. Moreover, the high chemical stability and inertness of diamond make it ideal for use in corrosive environments and in prosthetic devices that require biocompatibility. 

Electronics data storage LEDs photovoltaics flat panel displays. The materials are likely to be crucial in the evolution of an electronics industry based on soft materials such as plastics. 

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