The development history of China's liquid crystal display

From the late seventies, early eighties to the former Ministry of Electronics 774 factory (i.e. the predecessor of the current BOE) 770 factory, Shanghai Electron Tube Factory as the representative of the workshop type TN-LCD experimental line to the present, China's LCD industry has gone through the course of nearly thirty years, after several waves of investment, mainland China has become the largest TN-LCD production base and the main STN-LCD production base in the world. LCD production base and the main STN-LCD production base, from 2003 and began a large-scale involvement in TFT-LCD, to BOE Electronic Technology Group to acquire South Korea's Hyundai three TFT-LCD production lines and all LCD business, as well as BOE and SGD. As well as BOE and SGD and respectively invested in the mainland to build two fifth-generation TFT-LCD production line as a sign, China has become the world's LCD industry, the fourth pole of power and even stronger prophecy is gradually becoming a reality.

A historical review of industrial development

In the global LCD industry development chronology, China's start time is not too late, the late seventies and early eighties, Tsinghua University, Changchun Institute of Physics as the representative of the scientific research institutions and the former Ministry of Electronics, 774 factory, 770 factory, Shanghai Electron Tube Factory as the representative of the enterprise began to get involved in the R & D of the LCD technology and products, as well as the samples of production. But until '84, whether it is independent assembly equipment or equipment introduced from the United States, are small-scale experimental line of the workshop, did not form a batch of production scale, but these laboratories and experimental line has laid the foundation of China's liquid crystal industry, a group of people who worked in these experimental line, in the subsequent development of China's LCD industry at all stages have played a positive role.

1.TN-LCD

In 1984, Shenzhen, China Aerospace Horse Company built the first 4″ specifications of the TN-LCD production line, 770 factory built the first 7″ specifications of the more advanced equipment LCD scale production line (the main equipment through the introduction of Hong Kong from Japan). Following this, shenzhen's cents group and Singapore's faikai group joint venture set up shenzhen deep fai company, they are also a 7″ specification LCD production line, shenzhen jinghua company also almost at the same time to build a TN-LCD production line in Hong Kong's LCD production occupies the first place in Hong Kong company production line of kangli has also been transferred to huizhou, guangdong province. Subsequently, the second phase of Tianma, Jinglei, Huatai and other successive completion of more than 12″ specifications of the larger TN-LCD production line. In addition to the above production lines built by domestic investors, many Hong Kong companies represented by Shunli also built TN-LCD production lines in mainland China during that period. The late eighties, early nineties this period is considered to be China's LCD industry's first golden period, this period formed a considerable scale of TN-LCD industry, Shenzhen Tianma started from 4″ line, and soon built a 7″ line, in the early nineties and built a 12″ line, at that time a larger scale, product quality is good, gathered a number of high level of technical personnel and established its position in the industry. The company's influence in the industry was established by a group of high-level technicians.

2. STN-LCD

China's involvement in STN-LCD is from the beginning of the nineties, the National 8th Five-Year Plan development project "640×200 ultra-distorted liquid crystal display project" by the 770 factory and Tsinghua University, Nanjing 55 **** with the completion of the 93 years later, Tianma Sanma three lines, and then built a 12″ line in the early 90s. After 93 years, Tianma three one day Jun project, Hebei Jiya, Wuxi Sharp, Shanwei Xinli second phase, Shanghai Guangdian LCD, Maier Kote, etc. have built 12″ × 14″ or 14″ × 14″ specifications of the STN-LCD production line, the production of large and medium-sized STN-LCD products, and Anshan SANTE Electronics (now) Anshan Sente Electronics (now Anshan ASE Photoelectric), Shantou Ultrasonics and other companies built STN-LCD production line, the production of small and medium-sized STN-LCD products, and other higher technical level of the TN-LCD line is also in this period of time to meet the needs of the market for the development of the local transformation of the production of compatible STN-LCD products, such as Shenzhen Jing Jing's STN-LCD products. -LCD products, such as Shenzhen Jinghua, Shanghai Haijing, etc., but the above built STN-LCD production line in addition to Wuxi Sharp can produce color STN-LCD, the other production lines can only mass production of colored mode and black and white STN-LCD products. The production lines can only mass produce color mode and black-and-white STN-LCD products. From the end of the nineties, into the color STN-LCD production line construction hot period, Philips built two 14″ × 16″ color STN-LCD line in Shanghai, with the STN module production line has been built in Shanghai in the early stages together, trying to build the Shanghai Philips LCD City, and Xinli monochrome STN-LCD production line into a CSTN-LCD production line, the monochrome STN-LCD production line into a CSTN-LCD production line, the monochrome STN-LCD production line into a CSTN-LCD production line. -LCD production line into a monochrome STN-LCD production line, and invested in the completion of a special color CSTN-LCD production line, the Japanese-funded enterprise Japan's new appliances in Dongguan, Guangdong Province, built a CSTN-LCD production line. Epson and optrix were set up in suzhou and zhangjiagang suzhou epson and zhangjiagang light king electronics and build production lines, specializing in the production of small and medium-sized STN and color STN-LCD, shenzhen tianma in 03 to complete the fourth phase of the tianlong project to a 14″ x 16″ cstn production line production to the cell phone screen, pda based on the color stn-lcd. South Korea's Samsung following the STN module production line in Dongguan after the completion of a color STN-LCD production line, Changchun's UNISON in Changchun completed the color STN-LCD production line has entered the stage of mass production, Shenzhen BYD, Shantou Ultrasonics is also in the entry of the color STN-LCD production line, and the production of the color STN-LCD production line. After 2004, the color STN-LCD production line has been built one after another, and the trial production and mass production of color STN-LCD have begun.

3. TFT-LCD

Before 2000, China's work in TFT was limited to some universities and research institutes in a number of small-scale research. In 2000, Jilin Electronics Group purchased a first-generation TFT-LCD second-hand line from Japan, and is now producing some small and medium-sized TFT products. In February 2003, BOE Electronics Technology Group successfully acquired three TFT production lines and business from Hyundai of South Korea for US$380 million, and ranked ninth in the global sales of large-sized TFTs that year. In June 2003, BOE announced that it would invest 120 million US dollars in the construction of the fifth-generation TFT-LCD production line in Yizhuang Economic and Technological Development Zone in Beijing, and the project is now progressing smoothly, and is in the process of debugging and trial production, and will produce the first TFT-LCD screen on this line at the end of December 2004, which is more than the original plan. -LCD screen, nearly 1 month earlier than the original plan, in October 2003, BOE TFT module production line settled in Beijing, this production line is also a part of BOE's TFT business. April 2003, Shanghai Radio & Television Group and Japan's NEC reached an agreement *** with an investment of 114.6 billion yen to build the fifth-generation TFT-LCD production line in Shanghai Xinzhuang, this project is progressing well. TFT-LCD production line, this production line glass size with BOE is also 1100 * 1300, the target products are notebook computers, monitors and TV displays, this line in June 12 this year, the process equipment into the installation and commissioning, in October to complete the commissioning of the production, the output of China's first locally produced large-size TFT-LCD, the line is now moving towards mass production stage. At present, this line is advancing to the mass production stage. In Nanjing, Xinhua Day purchased NEC's first-generation TFT used line, the investment of about $ 54 million, the total investment than the color crystal small, target products are also positioned in the small and medium-sized, is now being debugging, trial run, has made 2.5″ samples.

4.LCD module

TN-LCD and STN-LCD module production line due to the small investment, relatively low technology threshold, the number of production lines in mainland China than the number of screen to be large and high, and its layout is also relatively decentralized, the early module factory to individual or small business investment is the main. Smaller scale. But in recent years, with the substantial growth in the number of cell phone production in mainland China, the localization of supporting device requirements, as well as the module production value and directly facing the attractiveness of the end customer, so that many manufacturers with screen production line and downstream manufacturers have also begun to build their own larger module factory, which is larger Shanghai Philips, Beijing Sanwu Electronics, Dongguan, Samsung Electronics, Zhangjiagang, King of the light electronics, Shenzhen Tianma, Guangzhou Precision, Shanghai Guangdian LCD, BOE and a number of screen production line manufacturers, but also such as Shenzhen TCL, Dalian Daxian and other manufacturers with the background of the machine.

In the TFT module, Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, companies have transferred production lines to mainland China, LG-Philips in Nanjing, Han Yu color crystal in Nanjing, AUO in Suzhou, China Picture Tubes in Wujiang, Chimei Innolux in Shanghai, Dongguan, Samsung in Zhenjiang, Hitachi in Suzhou, Sharp in Wuxi have their own production lines of TFT modules. The reason for this shift is believed to come from two aspects, one is optimistic about the future market in China, and the second is the labor cost advantage.

5. LCD supporting materials

Along with the LCD device production line number and scale of the increase in the LCD supporting materials and equipment has also been a good space for development, in the LCD of the three major materials, the earliest industrialization of liquid crystal materials and ITO glass. China's liquid crystal materials research work began in 1969, to the Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University and the North Chemical as the representative of the research institutes is the main force, in 1987 the Department of Chemistry, Tsinghua University, liquid crystal research results in Shijiazhuang, began mass production, and supplied to the LCD plant, the current name of the Shijiazhuang Yongsheng Huaching company is still the highest variety of the largest production capacity of the liquid crystal materials factory, by Tsinghua University and other companies Tsinghua University and other companies to cooperate with the Department of Chemistry of Tsinghua liquid crystal materials research technology industrialization of another company: Tsinghua Yawang liquid crystal materials company, they can also mass production of TN liquid crystals and low-grade STN liquid crystals, Shijiazhuang Yongsheng Huaqing and Tsinghua Yawang with a low-grade liquid crystal market share in mainland China has accounted for more than 70% of the low-grade TN accounted for more than 80%, and there are monomers to provide to the Japan, Germany, the other liquid crystal Material companies. In addition to these two, Xi'an Modern Research Institute and Xi'an Ruilian company is also engaged in the research and development and production of liquid crystal materials, but the liquid crystal monomer is mainly equipped with part of the mixed liquid crystal production, there are also a number of enterprises, such as Jiangsu Gaoheng Chemical Industry, Yantai and other companies engaged in the development and production of monomers and intermediates of liquid crystal materials. In ITO glass, China's first ITO glass production line for LCD is Shenzhen Nanya built in 87 years. The scale of this line is not very large, but later in the other ITO glass production line of many technical management backbone have worked in this line, following the Nanya, Shenzhen Lai Bao, Shenzhen Nanshou, Shenzhen Howei, Anhui Huayi and so on have built a larger ITO glass production line, they are not only in the ITO glass for the localization of supporting the contribution, but also in the export of supplying some of the Japanese LCD Enterprises, in the TN liquid crystal and ITO glass, we have been able to fully realize the local supporting, LCD another major material polarizer, currently the main Shenzhen deep spinning Luckys and Wenzhou Overseas Chinese industry two people, bulk supply of TN with polarizer and part of the STN with polarizer. Dongguan Fudi in the previous few years from Japan's Nichiba introduced Nichiba an old polarizer production line, but the commissioning of the operating conditions has not been too ideal, is currently undergoing reorganization.

Luoyang Float Glass Group has built a daily melting capacity of 250 tons of ultra-thin substrate glass line and has begun to supply ITO glass factory, which is a lot of domestic enterprises have worked hard but has not been a breakthrough in the field. In the mask version, Shenzhen Qingyi, Shenzhen Mei Jingwei and other companies have been supplied from TN, STN to CF with the film, chrome type mask version and other supporting materials, Mei Jingwei is the first professional LCD mask company, and Qingyi company is currently in the mask product production and scale leading, its company culture and quality management has been praised by the industry, in 2004 won the National Quality Award, and was done as a It has also been used as a teaching case for Peking University's Guanghua School of Management and Crosby College.

In the color LCD with the key material color filters, Shenzhen Lai Bao and Shenzhen South Glass has begun mass production, Shenzhen BYD introduced a line for their own supporting.

Other supporting materials in the LCD, such as backlight, PI, cleaner, photoresist, etc., domestic manufacturers can also partially supply.

6. LCD supporting equipment

In terms of supporting equipment, after years of hard work by all parties, mainland China has been able to produce some LCD manufacturing equipment and test instruments. Test equipment to universities and research institutes, such as Tsinghua University, Changchun Department of Physics have developed and produced stereotypes such as liquid crystal box thickness gauge, pre-tilt gauge, liquid crystal photoelectric parameter tester and other test equipment, and manufacturing equipment from the initial glass cutter, polarizer cutter, crystal filling machine and other single equipment to the production of a complete set of TN with the cleaning of the front section of the equipment and the friction line, the version of the line and other demanding equipment, professional production of liquid crystal equipment manufacturers. Specializing in the production of liquid crystal equipment manufacturers have Beijing Beijing Qingda, Taiyuan two, Shenzhen Tiger God, Shenzhen RUNZheng, Shenzhen Hangtong, Shenzhen, Shenzhen to protect the whole company, Beijing Qingda is by the Beijing Gauge and Sharpening Group and Tsinghua University, Japan Iinuma made *** with the joint venture company, Taiyuan two is engaged in semiconductor-related process research is a professional Institute, they have a strong technical strength. But the Chinese mainland liquid crystal equipment in terms of its size and level, and LCD devices and related materials than, still seems to lag behind some, compared with Japan and South Korea, there is still a considerable distance. Need to give more support and attention.

7 development and research

The Chinese mainland in the liquid crystal display technology, basic and applied research from the 1960s has begun, including Tsinghua University, Department of Physics, Department of Chemistry, Changchun Institute of Physics, Beijing Institute of Chemistry, and other units in the seventies have invested a great deal of energy in this area of research, and then Peking University Microelectronics, Nankai University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Nanjing Fifty-five, and other units have also invested a lot of energy in this area of research. After that, Microelectronics Institute of Peking University, Nankai University, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Nanjing Institute of Fifty-five and other units have also intervened in this area of research one after another, these basic and applied research and development work, although due to the relatively small capital investment, there is no world-class big innovative results, but also played a positive role in the development of the industry. The Tsinghua Liquid Crystal Center and the Northern Liquid Crystal Center, established in the background of universities and research institutes, are also units specializing in R&D of LCD technology, and some large groups such as BOE, SGD, TCL, etc. also have their own research institutes or institutes engaged in this area of work. North Liquid Crystal Center focuses on STN-LCD, a-si TFT, p-si TFT-LCD, liquid crystal device parameter tester research and development work, has won the first prize of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the second prize, the first prize of the Jilin Provincial Scientific and Technological Progress Award, etc., Tsinghua Liquid Crystal Center focuses on STN engineering technology research, as well as phase change liquid crystal, binomial liquid crystal, and so on. Tsinghua Liquid Crystal Center focuses on STN engineering technology research, as well as phase-change liquid crystal, the guest liquid crystal, wide-viewing angle and other personalized device development and wave-guiding technology in the application of liquid crystals, mode design and some of the basic research, has won the second prize of the National Science Progress Award and the First Prize of the Beijing Municipal Science Progress Award and other awards, and in recent years in the cultivation of talents to carry out the work of the flat panel industry to hold various types of technical training courses. Fifty-five Institute of STN, TFT and BTN liquid crystal display devices and the entire military liquid crystal reinforcement technology to carry out work in the reinforcement of several patents, was awarded the second prize of the National Defense Science and Technology Progress Award and other awards.

Two China's LCD industry, the current situation and development

After more than two decades of development, China's LCD industry from scratch, from the passive into the active, has become the world's largest TN / STN production of large countries and the output value of the world's fourth largest LCD industry ranked in the area of the LCD industry, the Chinese mainland and the LCD industry related to the production of factories, research institutes, there are approximately 180, approximately 110 TN/STN-LCD production lines, 7 TFT-LCD production lines (including BOE's three production lines in South Korea) and many TN/STN/TFT module production lines. Liquid Crystal Association in 2003 on the 65 members of the statistical data show that: these 65 units in 2003 the total sales value of 13.246 billion, an increase of 123% over 02 years, of which 10.779 billion, accounting for 81.38% of the display components, related materials 1.204 billion, accounting for 9.09%, manufacturing equipment 129 million, accounting for 0.97%, others accounted for 8.56%, the number of employees is about 53,000,000 people in the field of LCD production. Employees in about 53,000 people, LCD annual output of 4.24 million square meters, ITO glass annual output of 6.46 million square meters, LCD materials annual output of 79.5 tons, polarizer annual output of 960,000 square meters.

From the geographical distribution point of view, China's LCD industry is mainly distributed in three regions: Shenzhen as the center of South China, Shanghai as the center of East China, and Beijing as the center of North China, Northeast China, which corresponds to China's strong distribution of information industry.

South China is China's earliest formation of LCD, LCM regional areas, is still the largest number of enterprises, the most diversified investment composition of the region, the number of production lines accounted for more than 70% of the United States, which is dominated by Shenzhen and Dongguan, two cities, in the category of investment to Taiwan Huatai, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Taiwan, Taiwan and Taiwan, represented by investment and investment to the Shenzhen Tianma, Maier Kote, Dongguan SDI, Dongguan new electrical appliances, etc., represented by Japan and the United States and mainland China's domestic investment is given priority to.

Eastern China is just emerging in recent years the new area. This region is characterized by significant investment and scale of enterprises are larger, more Japanese and Taiwan-funded enterprises, Wuxi Sharp, Zhangjiagang Light King Electronics, Suzhou EPSON, Shanghai Philips, Shanghai Guangdian LCD have a larger CSTN and STN production lines, but also a large number of TFT module factory in this region. Larger output value, sales scale of hundreds of millions, billions of factories, with the Shanghai Radio and Television Group and Japan's NEC cooperation TFT-LCD five-generation line is completed, but also will drive the TFT-LCD industry chain of other projects, this region shows a very strong momentum of development.

Northeast China and North China at present the number of enterprises and the overall scale are smaller than the other two regions. But with BOE in 2003, the successful acquisition of South Korea's Hyundai TFT three production lines, and in Beijing to build TFT module production line and five-generation TFT screen production line, the integration of upstream and downstream industry chain a series of big moves and its TFT-LCD sales in 2003 the world's large-sized LCD ranked No. 9 in the status of the five-generation line was completed after the drive and the radiation impact, will drive this region to become a major influence on China's liquid crystal display (LCD). Will drive this region to become an important influence on China's liquid crystal industry in the region, in addition to this region also has a prominent feature is engaged in liquid crystal R & D units and forces are more concentrated. There are also the United States, three Wood Electronics and Hebei Jiya, Changchun, Anshan, a number of strength and strength of the enterprise.