TCL Corporation, a global leader in consumer electronics and communications, announced recently disclosing the progress of the Wuhan LTPS Project co-invested by its subsidiary China Star Optoelectronics Technology (CSOT) and Hubei Science & Technology Investment Group Co. Ltd.
According to the announcement, CSOT and Hubei Science & Technology Investment Group Co. Ltd. initiated the Wuhan LTPS Project in 2014 with a total joint investment of RMB 16 billion or US$2.45 billion, and established the joint venture Wuhan China Star Optoelectronics Technology to run the project. The Wuhan LTPS Project, also dubbed the T3 Project, will be a new production line of Gen 6 LTPS (OXIDE) LCD/AMOLED panels.
T3 is China’s first Gen 6 LTPS (low temperature poly-silicon) line, producing both small and medium-sized panels targeting smart end devices. LTPS currently sits as the high-bar of backplane manufacturing, and can be spotted behind most of the high-end LCD and AMOLED displays found in today’s smartphones. Compared with traditional a-Si displays, LTPS allows for much higher electron mobility that enables much greater resolution, brightness, stability, energy efficiency and lifespan while reducing weight, thickness and power consumption. Since LTPS is likely to remain a key technology for the foreseeable future, the T3 Project, when completed, will enable CSOT to end the monopoly of overseas companies in the high-end small display market. In other words, T3 will play a strategic role in China’s semiconductor display industry.
Being a promising high-end panel, LTPS will help CSOT expand its reach to all areas in the LCD panel business, and strengthen the company’s influence in the whole electronics industry. Equally important, the new line will help increase the penetration rate of related products and the company’s market share. Meanwhile, TCL Communication maintains a leading smartphones shipment and holds a rapid growth rate in tablet sales. The T3 project is expected to leverage the technological and production advantages to enhance the company’s vertical integration capabilities.
