Hitachi Cable Launches Cu-Mn Sputtering Target Material for LCD Circuit

Hitachi Cable announced on Wednesday the firm started commercial sales of copper-manganese alloy sputtering target material, which is used as circuit material of liquid crystal panels. The alloy, which was developed by Tohoku University, has equivalently high functions at low price compared with conventional circuit materials including molybdenum-copper and titanium-copper. Hitachi Cable apparently has around 30% global market shares of copper based sputtering target materials for liquid crystal panels. The firm tries to increase the shares to 40-50% by fiscal 2014 ending in March 2015.

Sputtering target materials are used to form a thin metal layer on glass surface of liquid crystal panels. Copper based sputtering target materials are used for liquid crystal panel TVs and touch panel circuits of tablet computers. In recent years, these panels have improved the performance in fineness and speed along with the larger size. The users prefer copper based sputtering target materials to conventional aluminium sputtering target material since copper represents lower electric resistance than aluminium.

Hitachi Cable has produced and sold pure copper sputtering target material since 2006. The material has been adopted by Japanese and offshore major liquid crystal panel makers. The firm estimates the global sales share reaches approximately 30% at present.

Pure copper circuit material requires an underlayer of molybdenum-copper or titanium-copper to improve adhesion with glass. Manganese-copper is cheaper than molybdenum-copper and titanium-copper while the new material provides the equivalent adhesion. The demand growth is expected as an alternate material.

Hitachi Cable hasn’t supplied copper based sputtering target materials for underlayer application so far. The firm expects for the global share increase of copper based sputtering target materials including both pure copper and manganese-copper.