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| Home > About LG Chem > Business Areas > Information & Electronic Material |
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| We help our customers make tomorrow happen today with advanced materials and solutions for the information revolution. |
At LG Chem, we supply rechargeable lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer batteries, optical materials such as LCD polarizers, color filter photoresists, and PDP filters, and electronic materials such as printed circuit board materials and toners to a client list that includes some of the world’s biggest electric and electronics manufacturers. Our ongoing investment in R&D, innovative products, and progressive marketing continues to make this our fastest-growing business area.
We continue to increase the capacity utilization ratio of our battery business. Our recently expanded mobile-phone battery line in Nanjing, China has boosted our overseas production capacity to 10 million cells annually. We are also stepping up our investment in LCD polarizer production with a ultra-wide lines in Ochang, Korea as well as additional back-end processing capacity in China and Taiwan as we position ourselves for growth in those markets.
Looking ahead to the future, our goal is to raise Information & Electronic Materials Group sales from the current 20% level to 30% of the total by 2012. Toward this end, we will focus on developing value-added optical materials, gaining a cost edge in batteries by bringing production of key materials in-house, and building a presence in the medium- and large-format battery fields.We will also be expanding our business portfolio into profitable, fast-growing clean energy fields and nomaterials. |
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We completed development and began mass production of Korea’s first lithium-ion batteries back in 1999. At the end of 2008, we were the world’s fourth-largest maker with an annual production capacity of 40 million cells, including 30 million cells in Korea and 10 million overseas. The first in the industry to commercially produce 2,800 mAh cells, we are considered to be one of the technology leaders in the field.
We produce both lithium-ion and lithium-ion polymer rechargeable batteries. Lithium-ion batteries come in cylindrical or prismatic cells, exhibit no memory effect, and have a high energy density and nominal voltage. They also have multiple safety features that make them ideal for notebook PCs, camcorders, mobile phones, and other personal electronics devices. Lithium-ion polymer batteries offer more freedom in battery shape than lithium-ion cells, enabling the battery to be easily and perfectly tailored to fit the device. Their energy density is also superior to conventional cells, allowing significant weight savings to be achieved. |
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| Medium-and Large-sized Batteries |
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| Medium- and large-format batteries are highoutput, high-capacity devices with a long list of applications including robots, robot vacuum cleaners, electric bicycles, electric wheelchairs, and electric and hybrid vehicles. Since beginning commercial production of these batteries in 2005, we have continued to enhance our competitiveness by working closely with major customers. We are also positioning ourselves for future growth by accelerating development of low-cost, high-efficiency clean energy solutions. |
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| LCD polarizers are multi-layer sheets of film applied to the top and bottom surfaces of TFT-LCD panels to effectively transmit the light from the backlight unit through the panel for clear, bright images. Our world-class development and manufacturing capabilities have enabled us to become the polarizer supplier of choice to major flat-panel display manufacturers. In 2007, we led the monitor segment of the polarizer market for the first time. PDP filters block near-infrared light and electromagnetic emissions as well as improving the optical properties of plasma TVs. We introduced our first glass filters in 2004, followed by film filters in 2005. Today, we sell our quality PDP filters to manufacturers worldwide. |
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We develop and produce a variety of display materials ranging from photoresists and strippers to organic lightemitting diode (OLED) materials. Our photoresist lineup includes color, column spacer, overcoat, and black matrix photoresists. We continue to innovate here with the industry’s highest contrast- ratio color filter photoresists for images with superior depth and detail. We also produce strippers for use in the TFT-LCD fabrication processes, both for aluminum or aluminum/copper circuitry.
OLED displays are a next-generation technology just beginning to reach market. Our hole injection layer (HIL), electron transporting layer (ETL), and emitting layer (EM) materials enable manufacturers to produce displays with lower power consumption and higher efficiency. We expect our innovative technology and good quality to make us an OLED industry leader in the coming years.
In addition to display materials, we produce a wide range of printing, battery, and printed circuit board materials. We supply toners for copiers and laser printers to more than 150 manufacturers worldwide. The advent of low-cost color laser printers has opened a huge market opportunity for color toners that we are now aggressively pursuing.
Battery materials are another one of our strategic fields. Producing our own electrolyte and cathode materials in-house enables us to boost the competitiveness of our current battery lineup as well as accelerate development of tomorrow’s higher-capacity, higherperformance cells.
We produce a number of printed circuit board materials such as copper-clad laminates (CCL), resin-coated copper (RCC) foil, and two-layer CCL (2CCL). Since launching 2CCL commercial production in 2005, our overseas sales have driven growth. Today, our ongoing transition from CCL to high-tech IC packaging materials is accelerating our advance into new high-value, hightech fields. |
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| We have offered LCD polarizer protective films featuring excellent anti-static, anti-pollution, and optimized peeloff since 2006. In 2007, we launched two new film product lines. Our light shaping film (LSF) enhances the brightness and has great durability in LCD backlight units. Our die attach film (DAF) offers superior reflow crack and heat resistance with robust reliability for improved processability in semiconductor packaging applications. |
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 Major Product Categories |
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| Lithium-ion batteries are known for their stable discharge voltage and long service lives. Cylindrical batteries are used in high-drain, high-power applications such as notebook PCs and power tools, while prismatic batteries are used for mobile devices such as phones and digital cameras. Lithium-ion polymer batteries can easily be sized and shaped to match the application, making them ideal for devices that are ultra-light and ultra-slim as well as high-volume objects such as automobiles. |
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| TFT-LCD panel performance ultimately depends on the quality of polarizers used. We developed our own LCD polarizer technology and began commercial production back in 1999. Our high-performance polarizers are globally recognized for their outstanding optical, thermal, and adhesive properties. |
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| Plasma TVs depend on glass or film PDP filters to improve their optical performance. These filters perform a number of important functions such as correcting and improving color reproduction, improving contrast, preventing reflections, and blocking nearinfrared light and electromagnetic emissions. |
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| Photoresists improve the contrast ratio and color reproduction of TFT-LCD panels. We currently produce color, column spacer, overcoat, and black matrix photoresists. As the developer of the industry’s highest contrastratio color filter photoresist solution, we continue to break new ground in both technology and quality for our customers. |
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Company Introduction
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