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To: Proud_Infidel who wrote (36843)	8/17/2000 2:26:49 PM
From: Jeffrey D	Respond to of 70976

This is interesting. Jeff << INSIDE TRACK: Polymers promise to eclipse liquid crystal: TECHNOLOGY SEMICONDUCTOR DISPLAYS: If you find yourself squinting to read what is on your mobile phone, CDT is likely to appeal, says David Spark 97% match; Financial Times ; 17-Aug-2000 12:00:00 am ; 490 words By DAVID SPARK Liquid-crystal dis-plays are displacing the cathode-ray tube because they are lighter, more convenient and consume less energy. Might they one day be usurped themselves? That is the hope of Cambridge Display Technologies, the high-tech company that is developing a technology that "prints" polymer semiconductors on to plastic to create a display. If you struggle to make out what is on the display of your mobile phone, then help may soon be close at hand. CDT and Seiko-Epson of Japan have recently demonstrated a 2.5in, three-colour display, using semiconductors printed by inkjet. Philips also has a pilot line to produce displays using CDT technology. To start with, these screens will be available on small devices, such as telephones, but they will eventually spread to larger gadgets, including even large-screen televisions. Most displays use liquid-crystal technology. They require a rigid structure with the crystal sandwiched between two pieces of glass. They also require a light source and, if they are three-colour displays, are profligate in their use of battery power, since light other than the required colour is filtered out and wasted. A CDT display does not require a light source, because the polymer semiconductors emit light when energised at low voltage. Neither does it call for glass panels, since polymer semiconductors can be printed on plastic, with a transparent electrode in between. That makes the structure holding it lighter and cheaper to make. A Seiko-Epson official says manufacturing costs will be significantly lower than those of liquid-crystal displays. The bulk of semiconductors used to control the crys tals in LCDs are made of silicon or other inorganic substances that require more processing than polymers. It has long been known that polymers have semiconducting properties, but this was a curiosity and thought to be of no practical value. When CDT first produced devices that worked "it was a huge surprise to everyone", says Richard Friend, Cavendish Professor of Physics at Cambridge, one of CDT's founders. In the 1980s he and colleagues decided to investigate the semiconducting properties of polymers. They found that poly p-phenylenevinylene, if changed in chemical composition, could emit a worthwhile amount of yellow-green light. How do they produce different colours? They sought a patent, set up Cambridge Display Technologies and looked for venture capital. Richard Friend says this enabled them to start work at once, instead of waiting for a research grant, and put them years ahead of other researchers. Rock group Genesis was one of the first investors. Lord Young, the former cabinet minister, and his associates came in with Pounds 6m in 1996. Since then, American funds have invested Dollars 16m (Pounds 10.6m). CDT has also made progress through partnerships with big companies Mr Richard Friend says they have learned that, to introduce a new technology, you have to have every step of the process perceived to be fully manufacturable and risk-free. Only then will a big company shell out hundreds of millions of pounds to adopt your idea. On the back of the light-emitting-display work, CDT is also investigating whether polymer semiconductors can provide a breakthrough in the generation of solar power by, in effect, running the display backwards and turning light into electricity. It has proved a hard grind to reduce the cost of power generated by silicon cells. A mix of polymers might provide a useful alternative.

To: Proud_Infidel who wrote (36843)	8/17/2000 2:29:11 PM
From: Jeffrey D	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 70976

And from Malaysia we have this. Jeff << BUSINESS TIMES (MALAYSIA): LOCAL CHIPMAKERS SEE NO SLOWDOWN IN PRODUCT DEMAND 94% match; Business Times (Malaysia) ; 17-Aug-2000 12:00:00 am ; 457 words By DAVID SPARK THE world's cooling passion for high-technology over the last two months has put immense pressure on share prices of semiconductor makers, amid news of sliding profits and falling demand. But local chipmakers have always known their worth. They see no slow- down in demand for its products, and is pumping up production capacity in response, industry observers said. Malaysian Pacific Industries Bhd and Unisem (M) Bhd are investing hundreds of millions of ringgit in expanding their production capacity, and they are not alone. Two multinationals - Motorola and Infineon Technologies - recently announced major capital investment to expand their operations here. Vice president and country manager of Motorola Malaysia, Datuk Ramli Abbas, said that he disagrees with talk that its two core businesses, the wireless communications and semiconductor sectors, are slowing down. Motorola will pour RM300 million over the next five years into building an integrated facility in Penang while Infineon will spend RM2 billion on lines that will allow it to make 25 billion memory chips - more double its current 10 billion chip capacity. Both multinationals maintain they have strong confidence in Malaysia's investment climate and the future growth of the semiconductor industry. Infineon Technologies Malaysia, a unit of German giant Siemens AG, on Tuesday unveiled a RM2 billion plan to expand its Malacca operations, which makes high performance semiconductors and DRAM memary chips used in the communication, automotive and computer industries. The plan includes the setting up of a new manufacturing plant in the Krubong Industrial Estate and extentions to its existing factory in the Batu Berendam Free Trade Zone. Just the day before, Motorola Malaysia said it will invest RM300 million over the next 5 years to build its Motorola Penang Technoplex, an integrated facility to make wireless communication and energy products. It was just weeks ago that depressed share prices of the country's listed chipmakers provided opportunity for both to buy-back shares at bargain prices. Shares of both MPI and Unisem felt the brunt of a recent selloff on technology stocks which pressured their prices significantly. But MPI, which recently embarked on an aggressive buyback programme, says it will continue to pick up undervalued stock. "Current prices are outrageously, ridiculously low," said managing director David Edward Comley in a recent interview. At the time, MPI was trading below RM28, a level not seen since last December. He said the company will continue its strategy of buying back shares when the price falls below RM30 each. The company has now more than 8 million shares retained in its treasury as a result of its buybacks. In July, MPI bought a total of 639,000 shares from the open market for a cumulative RM18.45 million at prices between RM26.50 and RM34.25. A month later, MPI bought another 203,000 shares for RM5.76 million at between RM27.25 and RM29.50. Investors seem to have responded to this bullish signal from MPI's management as its share price has since recovered, and closed at RM32.50 yesterday. Unisem is now considering the same strategy, too. Its chairman Datuk John Chia says the company will make the proposal at "an appropriate time", although he declined to say when. Unisem ended at RM20.30 yesterday. Copyright © Chamber World Network International Limited