Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display Industry Research Articles

Detection of Electrical Circuit in a Thin-Film-Transistor Liquid-Crystal Display Using a Hybrid Optoelectronic Apparatus: An Array Tester and Automatic Optical Inspection.

In this study, we developed a high-resolution, more accurate, non-destructive apparatus for refining the detection of electrode pixels in a thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal display (TFT-LCD). The hybrid optoelectronic apparatus simultaneously uses an array tester linked with the automatic optical inspection of panel defects. Unfortunately, due to a tiny air gap in the electro-optical inspector, the situation repeatedly causes numerous scratches and damages to the modulator; therefore, developing alternative equipment is necessary. Typically, in TFT-LCDs, there are open, short, and cross short electrical defects. The experiment utilized a multiple-line scan with the time delay integration (TDI) of a charge-coupled device (CCD) to capture a sharp image, even under low light, various speeds, or extreme conditions. In addition, we explored the experimental efficacy of detecting the electrode pixel of the samples and evaluated the effectiveness of a 7-inch opaque quartz mask. The results show that an array tester and AOI can detect a TFT-LCD electrode pixel sufficiently; therefore, we recommend adopting the hybrid apparatus in the TFT-LCD industry.

Exploring Industrial Knowledge Flow for Identifying Technological Development Strategy: The Case of Korea’s TFT-LCD Industry

Korea’s technological achievement in the thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) industry became possible primarily through a catch-up strategy in technological development. Through qualitative and quantitative analyses of the Korean TFT-LCD industry’s knowledge management, the researchers highlight the strategies that key Korean firms utilized to enable a successful technological catch-up. On a national level, patent citation information is analyzed to evaluate the Korean industry’s technological knowledge position compared to other Asian countries. Results from this analysis indicate that Korea plays a central role within the knowledge network, as evidenced by the highest centrality value. On a firm level, Samsung and LG Display are investigated in the areas of technological development and manufacturing strategies. Samsung and LG Display show strength in the technological specialization of devices’ arrangements/optical operation and arrangement/circuits of control indicating devices. In addition, these two firms show more diversification to allow for new business opportunities. By integrating quantitative and qualitative methods to analyze the TFT-LCD industry on national and firm levels, this research demonstrates the industry’s trajectory with depth and precision. In addition, this study contributes a meaningful strengthening of analysis methods in technological knowledge management and provides successful management factors for new latecomers in the industry.

Applying Data Envelopment Analysis to Evaluate the Operation Performance of Taiwan’s TFT-LCD Industry After Post-Global Financial Crisis: A Longitudinal Study

After the global financial crisis occurred in 2008, thin-film transistor liquid-crystal display (TFT-LCD) industry, one of the major industries in Taiwan, has been subject to mass production and low-price competition by manufacturers in China. As a result, companies are facing an increasingly tough operating environment and some of them had to conduct merger/acquisition and transformation and even went bankruptcy ultimately due to unbearable long-term losses. This study aims to apply data envelopment analysis (DEA) and Malmquist Productivity Index (MPI) to evaluate changes in operation performance and productivity of listed companies operating in Taiwan TFT-LCD industry during the period between 2008 and 2017, and research results thereof could provide companies with a reference for organizing adjustment and developing strategies. According to research results: (1) among the six evaluated TFT-LCD manufacturers, TFT-LCD manufacturer F enjoys the best operation performance, and its overall technical efficiency, pure technical efficiency, and scale efficiency are above the average in the industry; therefore, TFT-LCD manufacturer F is considered as the benchmark enterprise among companies; (2) at the same technical level, both inputs of research and development (R&D) and human resources failed to be effectively utilized, which demonstrates that there is still a lot of room for improvement in operation efficiency of inefficient manufacturers.

A new grey prediction model for the return material authorization process in the TFT-LCD industry

In the era of the short product life cycle, the return materials authorization (RMA) process plays an important role in satisfying customers because sellers have to prepare a certain amount of stock for returning products. Hence, determining how to evaluate the trade-off between over-stock and under-stock to balance cost-cutting and customer satisfaction is worthy of study. In this paper, we reveal a case taken from a leading TFT-LCD (thin film transistor liquid crystal display) maker in Taiwan, where the prepared stock is very likely to go from being hoarded to futility because the life cycle of TFT-LCD products is very short. To overcome the issues of the RMA process in the case company, obtaining the precise sizes of returning defectives in the near future is considered as one of the key tasks. General grey models (GMs) are widely applied to make predictions for this kind of short-term time series data; nevertheless, there still has the possibility of improving its predictions. This study thus proposes a new GM model, called the MTD-GM model, where a mega-trend-diffusion technique is employed to improve estimating the background values in the traditional GM. The experimental results show that the proposed MTD-GM grey model outperforms four other grey models with eight products in the case company data.

Characterization of Endocrine Disruptors and Particulate Matter Emissions from Laser Cutting of Plastic Film in the TFT-LCD Industry

ABSTRACTIn the last five years laser cutting has been identified as one of the solutions for converting and shaping the plastic films used in the Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display (TFT-LCD) industry due to its positive effects on cost management. However, there has been quite limited information available with regard to the hazards of the air pollutants released during the laser cutting process, and in particular in relation to the real operations that occur in a factory. This is the first study that aims to assess the Endocrine Disruptors (EDs) and Particulate Matter (PM) emitted during the laser cutting process. Phthalate Esters (PAEs) and Polycyclic Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs) are the representative EDs in this research. The results indicate that the power of the laser and type of plastic significantly affect the composition of air pollutants. Di(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP) of PAEs was identified in the Laser Generated Air Contaminants (LGACs) from both Polycarbonate (PC) and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) films. DEHP was detected in the gas-phase LGACs of PC and PET at low, medium and high power (80 W, 160 W, 240 W), but not detected in the particle-phase LGACs of PC and PET, except when the laser was operated at a low power setting. With the laser power increased, the concentrations of PM and PAHs also increased. This research found that during laser cutting PC released more DEHP than PET, but PET released more PAHs than PC.

TFT-LCD industry performance analysis and evaluation using GRA and DEA models

In this study we propose a four-stage approach, which includes data envelopment analysis, Malmquist productivity index (MPI), entropy method and grey relation analysis (GRA), to investigate the operational performance of six thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) companies in Taiwan during 2009–2012. The input variables are fixed assets, operating expenses, R&D expenses and number of employees, while the output variables are cash flow and net sales. The empirical results showed that companies AUO and HannStar could increase their operation efficiency by improving their VRS efficiency and scale efficiency. When using the MPI model to measure the productivity changes for these TFT-LCD companies, we found that the technology changes in most of the companies are downward tendencies during 2009–2012 except for Ampire. Thus, not only could the proposed GRA with entropy weights evaluate the current performances of each firm effectively, it can also predict their future performances.

An Efficient Model for NPD Performance Evaluation Using DEMATEL and Fuzzy ANP—Applied to the TFT-LCD Touch Panel Industry in Taiwan

As the competitive market nowadays shortens the life cycle of products, new products should be designed to meet the customer’s demand under a dynamic marketing environment so as to efficiently enhance the product strength of new products with maximization of profit. Hence, the key solution for enterprises to succeed will be the precise evaluation of new product development (NPD) performance, particularly for those who manage to survive in the intensely competitive market in Taiwan. This study is to identify the thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) touch panel industry and then establish an integrated model of NPD performance evaluation for enterprises. Firstly, literature review and interviews with experts are conducted to select the four aspects and 15 criteria as the main factors affecting NDP performance evaluation. Secondly, Decision Making Trial and Evaluation Laboratory (DEMATEL) is employed to identify the interrelationships among those factors. Finally, a Fuzzy theory is applied to resolve the linguistic hedges and an Analytic Network Process (ANP) is adopted to obtain the weights of all factors. A case study is performed to validate the proposed model in a Taiwanese TFT-LCD company. It not only provides the decision maker with a guidance system but also increases the competitive advantages for the TFT-LCD industry to design new products in the future.

A case study on FMEA-based quality improvement of packaging designs in the TFT-LCD industry

Nowadays enterprises are encountering diversified customer requirements, and using market information well is critical to product development. It is extremely important to conduct risk planning, prevent potential failures, and reduce uncertain factors by transforming customer requirements into exact development targets. This study is based on the method of quality function deployment (QFD) and failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA). The package design for semi-finished products of thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) modules in the photoelectricity industry was selected as a case study. First, customers conducted a questionnaire survey which helped determine the items they demanded. Second, QFD has been combined with FMEA to serve as the standard of evaluating the importance of customer requirements. Through mutual assessments and investigations by QFD and design failure mode and effects analysis (DFMEA), the key factors of a product design can be determined. The results of design of experiments verified that this method indeed effectively reduced defective products and customer complaints. The average number of customer complaints per year has been reduced from 9.5 to just only one after the introduction of the proposed method, which has been verified to assist in rapidly developing new products during the early design stage. This approach also reduces possible losses and enhances competitiveness.

Implementation of cross-generation automation transportation system in the TFT-LCD industry

This study introduces a novel cross-generation automation transportation system (ATS) model to implement production manufacturing systems in the thin-film-transistor liquid-crystal-display (TFT-LCD) industry. The proposed cross-generation ATS model describes the construction of each generation system to implement production requirements and follow a fixed cycle. The extent to which automation associated with technological upgrading can led to the full implementation of automated production has become increasingly important in production manufacturing strategy. Implementation of ATS has evolved from an early traditional thinking model to a human-oriented production process, i.e., a fully automated system that integrates planning with thinking. Therefore, this study focuses on cross-generational data collected from company operations to examine the feasibility of implementing cross-generation ATS in the production manufacturing system patterns of the conventionally used thinking model.

A hybrid MCDM approach for improving the performance of green suppliers in the TFT-LCD industry

The awareness of environmental protection/conservation and sustainable development has increased in the last two decades. In the competitive thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) industry, green supplier evaluation involves environmental criteria in the traditional evaluation process and emphasises that TFT-LCD manufacturers should improve the performance of their suppliers with limited resources. The purpose of this study is to develop a hybrid multiple criteria decision-making with preference ranking organisation method for enrichment evaluations to evaluate and assist polariser suppliers for improving the performance of green suppliers in the TFT-LCD industry to achieve the aspiration level. Based on supplier audit forms, the proposed methods are as follows: to develop a decision framework by an influential network relation map (INRM); to obtain the influential weights of the criteria; to involve the concept of aspiration levels in the preference function; and to evaluate and reduce the gaps of suppliers in each criterion based on the INRM by systematically making decisions in the process of striving toward the aspirations. The results show the ranking as well as the suppliers’ strengths/weaknesses and provide an improvement report to enhance the suppliers’ competitiveness. In the evaluation procedure, the managers place importance on ‘green management’, ‘technology’ and ‘organisation’ aspects. To achieve the goal of being a cost-effective and high-performance manufacturer, the subsidiary polariser supplier should improve performance on ‘health and safety’ first and next develop technology to become the primary supplier by using the proposed methods.

The study of relationships between the collaboration for supply chain, supply chain capabilities and firm performance: A case of the Taiwan׳s TFT-LCD industry

Academic and business fields have frequently examined the significance and influence of collaborative development interactions and feedback mechanisms for supply chain value innovation. Value co-creation and value constellations, which serve as innovation drivers in channel integration, are positively associated with supply chain performance. We investigated the relationships among collaborative supply chain value innovation (CSCVI), supply chain capabilities (SCCs), and firm performance by examining a case of the thin-film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) industry in Taiwan.

The rise of Taiwan in the TFT-LCD industry

Purpose– This study aims to refocus the analysis of global political economies using concepts from studies on Varieties of Capitalism (VoC) to track Taiwan’s rise in the Thin Film Transistor Liquid Crystal Display (TFT-LCD) industry. Taiwanese electronics firms began to outpace their competitors from Japan in TFT-LCD industry’s competition from about the year 2000.Design/methodology/approach– Drawing on depth interviews and analysis of secondary source material, newspaper and magazine.Findings– A time factor that helps determine advantage and/or disadvantage of high-tech industry in Japan and Taiwan. Stable organizational structure and less talent mobility in the Japanese TFT-LCD firms may well have been an advantage initially in the transformation process from US firms’ experimental technologies to tacit mass production technologies, but proved to be a disadvantage in the subsequent competition with more mobile talent in Taiwanese firms eager to standardize mass production techniques. Japanese firms’ rigid organizational structure could not keep pace to the market-oriented technology strategy in the global TFT-LCD industry, lost competitive advantage in a rapid pace.Social implications– VoC literature should be focused to highlight two insights. The first is the premise of institutional forms specific to national models of capitalism. Patterns of technology transfer appear critical in the innovation process, and differ markedly between Taiwan and Japan. Second, the VoC literature suggests comparative institutional advantage.Originality/value– Through the comparative analyses between Taiwanese capitalism model and Japanese counterparts, we can understand the reason and process of the rise of Taiwan in global TFT-LCD market.

트리즈 기법을 활용한 삼성전자의 TFT-LCD 기술혁신 사례연구

TFT-LCD 패널 제조 산업에서 삼성전자는 후발기업으로써 선발기업인 일본의 샤프를 추월하여 선도하고 있다. 트리즈 시스템 분석을 활용하여 디스플레이 산업은 노트, 모니터, TV & 모바일 제품 시장으로 변화를 하였으며 시장(고객)의 요구속성도 변화를 함을 제시하였다. 또한 삼성의 TFT-LCD 기술 중 빠른 응답 기술 혁신 사례를 제시하였다. 예를 들면, 응답속도 개선을 위해 기존 사용하고 있는 액정 혼합물에 트리즈의 모순성, 물질-장 방법 등을 활용하여 개발된 고복굴절률 액정물질을 첨가하여 광시야 각, 빠른응답 특성을 갖는 신규 액정 혼합물을 개발하였다. 새로운 액정혼합물의 응답속도는 60%정도로 단축 개선되었다(기존 액정 사용 시 16 ms, 새로운 액정혼합물 사용 시 10ms). In the TFT-LCD(Thin Film Transistor-Liquid Crystal Display) panel manufacturing industry, SAMSUNG, a late entry, can catch up to leading first mover, SHARP. The changes the note, monitor, TV, and mobile markets in the TFT-LCD industry were studied using a system analysis method. In addition, the fast response time technology in SAMSUNG TFT-LCD technology was developed using the TRIZ method. For example, a new liquid crystal mixture of a wide view angle and fast response time were developed by doping a new high birefringence liquid crystal material in a base mixture using the contradiction method and su-field method of TRIZ. The response time of a new liquid crystal mixture was improved to approximately 60%(16.2ms with base LC mixture, 9.8ms with a new LC mixture).

A Hybrid Multiple Criteria Group Decision-Making Approach for Green Supplier Selection in the TFT-LCD Industry

The awareness of the need for environmental protection is increasing throughout the world. The focuses of green supplier selection are on considering environmental criteria and strengthening the competitiveness of the entire supply chain. The purpose of this study is to develop a green supplier selection procedure for the thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) industry using polarizer suppliers as an example. First, a decision framework for green supplier selection is developed based on literatures and the supplier audit forms provided by an anonymous flat panel display manufacturer in Taiwan. Then, a hybrid multiple criteria group decision-making (MCGDM) method is proposed based on analytic hierarchy process (AHP), entropy, elimination and choice expressing the reality III (ELECTRE III), and the linear assignment method to assist the manufacturer in choosing among four polarizer suppliers. The final ranking results for green supplier selection and different opinions from each department are provided. An improvement report is suggested to enhance suppliers’ performance. For the evaluation procedure, most managers emphasize the importance of current capability and the capability of research and development. Furthermore, we found that the subsidiary supplier should improve quality control competence immediately to be considered as the potential candidate of primary supplier.

SF6 usage and emission trends in the TFT-LCD industry

Several fluorinated compounds (FCs) used in electronics manufacturing, including SF6, perfluorocarbons (PFCs), and hydrofluorocarbons (HFCs) are extremely potent greenhouse gases. These compounds are classified as global warming pollutants to be controlled by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the Kyoto Protocol. Thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) manufacturing is a major source of SF6 emissions, in which these gases are used for equipment cleaning and plasma etching. The respective Environmental Protection Administration of the Republic of China, Taiwan and the Environmental Protection Agency of the United States collaboratively strive in encouraging high technology manufacturers to improve annual reporting of FCs emissions and implement emission reduction practices and technologies.In the TFT-LCD industry, FCs account on average for 30% of total greenhouse gas emissions; 80% of emissions originate from the etching process and 20% from the chemical vapor deposition (CVD) chamber cleaning process, which is in compliance with Taiwan EPA data reports from 2005 to 2010. The leading TFT-LCD manufacturers are Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. The World LCD Industry Cooperation Committee (WLICC) subsequently established an aggressive climate protection action plan in 2001. This study focuses specifically on SF6 usage and emission factors reflecting common TFT-LCD manufacturing practices.

An integrated algorithm for cutting stock problems in the thin-film transistor liquid crystal display industry

The cutting stock problem (CSP) is a critical issue in the manufacturing of thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) products. Two manufacturing processes are utilized in this industry: (1) various TFT-LCD plates are cut from a glass substrate based on cutting patterns, and (2) the number of glass substrates required to satisfy customer requirements is minimized. The current algorithm used to select the cutting pattern is defined as a mixed integer program (MIP). Although the current MIP method yields an optimal solution, but the computation time is unacceptable when the problem scale is large. To accelerate the computation and improve the current method, this study proposes an integrated algorithm that incorporates a genetic algorithm, a corner arrangement method, and a production plan model to solve CSPs in the TFT-LCD industry. The results of numerical experiments demonstrate that the proposed algorithm is significantly more efficient than the current method, especially when applied to large-scale problems.

Options in technology investment games: The real world TFT-LCD industry case

The Thin Film Transistor-Liquid Crystal Display (TFT-LCD) industry has demonstrated that the investment of huge amounts of capital in new plants is a key factor for success. Decisions about investing in the latest generation of plant involve billions of dollars and a great deal of uncertainty. Moreover, the industry shows distinct oligopolistic characteristics, so the first mover's reactions must be considered when making capital decisions in such competitive environments. The traditional net present value (NPV) rule is a ‘now-or-never’ concept that fails to capture the need for managerial flexibility, which is especially important when investments are irreversible and involve a great deal of uncertainty. In this paper, we use a combination of real options and game theory to analyze the investment strategies of a case company in the TFT-LCD industry. The results show that real options reveal the value of flexibility, which NPV fails to consider. In addition, we apply game theory analysis to different investment strategies to demonstrate the decision-making processes used by competing companies.

SUPPLIER PRODUCTIVITY AND QUALITY PERFORMANCE EVALUATION IN THE TFT-LCD INDUSTRY

Manufacturers of the TFT-LCD (Thin-Film Transistor Liquid-Crystal Display) panels in Taiwan face challenges from increasing competition and falling prices. Additionally, these manufacturers are heavily reliant on the reliability of their supply chains, making the choice of upstream suppliers a mission-critical issue in the industry. This study employs Operating Costs, Research and Development (R&D) Expenses, Net Fixed Assets, and Total Assets as input parameters to output Operating Revenue and Quality System Audit (QSA) Scores for the TFT-LCD industry in Taiwan. Traditional DEA models are used in the confirmation analyses, whereas the Grey System entropy weight method is applied to calculate the relative weights of the various parameters. The weighting results are included in the DEA as constraint weights to be substituted into the CCR-AR, SBM-AR, and Additive-AR models. The results are then compared to evaluate efficiency in terms of satisfying practical application needs. Finally, a case study based on a large TFT-LCD company in Taiwan is analyzed to provide insight into variations in Decision Making Units (DMUs) caused by the use of various models. The results are valuable in terms of optimizing the selection of an appropriate model to carry out future studies.

An analysis of TFT-LCD industry success factors by integrating FDAHP and gray sequencing

As Taiwan’s TFT-LCD (thin film transistor liquid crystal display) industry plays a vital global role, discussion of its success factors is importance. Previous studies of the TFT-LCD industry success factors were usually based on personal experience and subjective judgment, and did not provide specifically effective success factors assessing methods. Therefore, it is important to establish a set of TFT-LCD industry success factor evaluation methods. Based on literature review and expert interviews, this study selected and summarized 5 major perspectives, and 18 evaluation indices applicable to the TFT-LCD industry. It also established a qualitative (semantics) and quantitative (real data) integrated evaluation model of TFT-LCD industry success factors and their sequencing, using the FDAHP (fuzzy Delphi analytic hierarchy process) and gray sequencing method, in order to provide reference for the TFT-LCD industry. The result showed the top three key success factors which are innovation and R&D (research and development) capabilities, the industry chain support, and manufacturing equipment upgrades. Finally, the top three success factors are employed in sequence to illustrate managerial implications. Key words: TFT-LCD (thin film transistor liquid crystal display) industry, success factors, FDAHP (fuzzy Delphi analytic hierarchy process), gray sequencing.

English

  Taiwan’s current thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD) industry provides a representative, real-world example of both the collaboration within, and the competition in technologies and capital orientation. To compete successfully in the market, companies in the industry require continuous technology innovations for new products. Further, a large amount of investment and output value in TFT-LCD industry becomes one of the most important industries which drove the relative industrial development. Hence, firms in Taiwan suffered difficult industrial environment. Companies compete with both Japanese and Korean companies, which are known as the leading manufacturers in TFT-LCD industry, and earn low or negative profits. The study uses analytic hierarchy process (AHP) to conclude the views of experts from industry, the government, and academic. The study conducted five critical success factors in new product development (NPD) for TFT-LCD industry: innovation of NPD strategy, application and exploitation of NPD strategy, supportive resource from CEO, establishment of cross-functional NPD team, and development of commodity survey planning. The results show that R and D strategy, and organizational contexts are the most important factors. Based on the factors identified, a hierarchy model of critical success factors is proposed, with which TFT-LCD firms can formulate action plans for NPD.   Key words: Thin film transistor liquid crystal display (TFT-LCD), new product development, analytic hierarchy process (AHP).