August 29, 2007 : Mass Production Starts of Neopulim®, Transparent Polyimide Film with High Heat Durability for Application in Electronic Devices |
| Mitsubishi Gas Chemical Company, Inc. (“MGC”, Head Office: Chiyoda Ward, Tokyo, President: Kazuo Sakai) has completed construction of a roll film manufacturing facility at MGC’s Hiratsuka Research Laboratory in Hiratsuka City, Kanagawa Prefecture (production capacity: 5,000m2/month), and started mass production of Neopulim®, a transparent polyimide film with high heat durability for application in electronic devices.
Capable of enduring temperature up to 280oC, Neopulim® retains polyimide’s characteristic high heat durability, while at the same time achieving total luminous transmittance of 90%. In recent years, electronics companies have been exploring the possibility of using plastic film as a replacement for conventional glass substrates in flat panel displays, sensors, photovoltaic cells and another optical devices, in order to improve flexibility and produce thinner, more lightweight devices. However, the conventional transparent film available could not be used in the high temperature manufacturing processes for such devices due to its low heat durability. In contrast, Neopulim® has the transparency, heat durability, surface smoothness, dimensional stability, and low thermal expansion required for film used as substrate material. Since market development began several years ago, it has won high praise from a large number of users. MGC’s Neopulim® will take the form of a long roll film, and will gain rigidity from its thickness (with possible manufacturing thicknesses of up to 0.25mm). This will enable users to adopt efficient roll-to-roll technology in the device manufacturing process, and to adopt the same sheet process as for glass substrates. It will also have sufficient heat durability for the lead-free soldering process, which is becoming standard among users. As MGC begins mass production, Neopulim® is already being increasingly applied as a replacement for glass substrates in light sensors and other small-sized electronic device components, in order to facilitate thinner, more lightweight design, improve productivity and reduce costs. Previously, MGC was unable to produce sufficient supply of film to be developed for the devices such as flexible display panels, electronic paper, and photovoltaic cells, so the stage of evaluation for Neopulim® in such field of applications has been limited to basic trials with small-scale experimental equipment. However, MGC expects that increased production will significantly boost these evaluation efforts. MGC will use the start of mass production to accelerate market development, including that for large-scale devices, targeting commercial production with a capacity of 100,000m2/month by 2011. For further information please contact:
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