In order to maintain our leadership position in display materials, we continue to invest in research and development as well as in production plants. At € 85 million, the division’s R&D spending exceeded the previous year’s level. At the Darmstadt site we further expanded our production facilities and broke ground for a new chemical research center, which will also accommodate liquid crystal and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) research. We are expanding our site in South Korea in order to strengthen our research and development and further intensify our cooperation with customers.
LC core business: Merck is technology leader
Based on more than 100 years of experience in liquid crystal manufacturing, we are the global technology leader in the LC industry and the leading development partner to the global display industry, especially for highly complex, specific LC mixtures for technically sophisticated applications. Combining our expertise with our customers’ allows us to continuously develop interesting products for consumers and introduce them to the market. We are already working together on technologies for the coming decade to further significantly improve picture quality.
New technologies for displays
PS-VA (polymer stabilized vertical alignment) is the next generation in display technology. It offers better contrast, even faster switching times and, above all, better energy efficiency as backlighting can be significantly reduced. By means of an additional polymer layer, the VA molecules in the display are pre-aligned in a certain direction to achieve the above-mentioned advantages. Innovative materials from Merck have helped pioneer this technology. Some devices with PS-VA displays are already on the market, for example the new PlayStation Portable (PSP). Another innovation was presented in August at the International Consumer Electronics Trade Fair (IFA) in Berlin: the first LCD television with 200/240-hertz technology, produced with our liquid crystal mixtures. It enables even higher definition of fast moving pictures, for example sports programs.
Touch panels
The division is not only a manufacturer of liquid crystal mixtures, but also an important partner to the display industry in other areas. Our patented etching pastes for the isishape® product range are an important component in the manufacture of touch panels. The very thin films used in touch panels must be selectively processed. The layers are often only a few nanometers thick, or about one-thousandth the thickness of a human hair. Touch panels are increasingly used, for example, in high-tech mobile phones, automatic ticket and other vending machines, as well as navigation devices.
OLED materials
Aside from liquid crystal technology, our researchers are working on materials for innovative displays. Here the special focus of development is on OLED materials (organic light-emitting diodes). They are used in mobile phones, MP3 players and digital picture frames, and have been introduced in televisions. First TV prototypes with 30-inch screens have been announced. Here too, our researchers maintain a close exchange with manufacturers. Merck materials are already inside many OLED displays on the market. Merck also intends to position itself as a leading material supplier in this new display technology.
Growth market of photovoltaics
In addition to display materials, the division is active in the growth market of photovoltaics and is developing new energy-saving lighting materials. In photovoltaics, we are focusing on the development of materials for printing technologies and for the production of organic solar cells. With the isishape® range, we offer solar cell manufacturers printable etching pastes for low-cost structuring of the materials required within the production process. A new production plant was commissioned for this at the Darmstadt site in 2008. New technologies for producing organic and thin-film solar cells are gaining an increasing share of the market as a result of cost advantages.
Alternative to conventional light bulbs
Under “solid-state lighting” we combine research activities focused on developing lighting materials for white LEDs (light-emitting diodes). These LEDs can be an alternative to conventional light bulbs and energy-saving lamps that consume relatively large amounts of energy and have low efficiency rates. If attempts to increase the efficiency of lighting materials succeed, experts estimate that this could eliminate the need for up to 200 coal-fired power plants worldwide. To support these developments, in July 2008 Merck acquired LITEC-LLL GmbH of Greifswald, Germany, a company specializing in the development, production and marketing of ortho-silicate lighting materials.
Our OLED materials are used not only for spot lighting but also for innovative area lighting, making it possible to illuminate large areas while saving energy. Here, prototypes have already been developed in cooperation with leading lighting manufacturers.
Active in the top research cluster
Networks between science and industry play an essential role in developing cutting-edge technologies. Merck is actively participating in several research and cooperation projects, for example the “Organic Electronics” cluster of the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region, which was one of the winners of the top-cluster competition launched by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research. Areas of focus include developing organic light-emitting diodes and smart labels based on printed electronic circuits.
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