Flat-panel supplier AUO Corp (友達) has begun operations of the second phase of its sixth-generation low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) LCD fab in Kunshan, China, to increase production of glass substrates.
In a statement, the company said that with the newly added capacity in its Kunshan plant, it would be able to produce more than 40,000 units of glass substrates per month.
When the first stage of the Kunshan plant became operational in 2016, it was the first sixth-generation LTPS flat-screen plant in China and produced Gen 6 glass substrates measuring 1.5m x 1.85m, the company said.
Photo courtesy of AUO Corp via CNA
Second-phase production would roll out substrates for displays used in high-end notebooks, as well as low-carbon, energy-saving and automotive displays and other value-added niche products.
“Kunshan possesses exceptional development advantages, and its complete optoelectronics industry chain with advanced display technology at its core makes it a key growth and development base for AUO,” AUO CEO and president Frank Ko (柯富仁) said in the statement.
AUO has three production bases in China, with the Kunshan complex “serving as its front-end panel production facility and core development hub for the company’s global expansion of LTPS panels,” he said.
The establishment of the Gen 6 LTPS production line would enable AUO to secure a strong market position in products such as mobile phones, notebook computers and automotive parts, he added.
In response to the growing electric vehicle (EV) market, the Kunshan plant has solid technological foundations and could capitalize on the energy-efficient characteristics of LTPS panels to meet the demand for green, energy-saving features in EVs, it said.
Apart from its efforts to turn the Kunshan complex into an efficient 5G smart factory, a distinguishing feature of the complex is a rooftop solar power plant that can now generate 23GWh of power, accounting for 6 percent of the facility’s annual power needs, it said.
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