FPD Supply Chain to Discuss How They Are Enabling Unprecedented Industry Growth at DisplaySearch's 6th Annual US FPD Conference.

Business Editors/High-Tech Writers

6th Annual DisplaySearch US FPD Conference

AUSTIN, Texas--(BUSINESS WIRE)--March 4, 2004

With huge markets such as TVs, desktop monitors, PCs and mobile phones all embracing TFT LCDs simultaneously, the TFT LCD market is expected to grow by $14.5 billion or 45% in 2004 to $47 billion. With TFT LCDs costs dominated by materials and the industry investing at a record rate in 2004, the FPD materials and equipment suppliers will play a critical role in the expansion and financial outlook of this market this year and into the future. In fact, with 5th, 6th and 7th generation fabs all coming online over the next 15 months, capacity is exploding, placing the manufacturing supply chain under heavy pressure to rapidly expand to meet customer needs. With numerous components already in shortage and equipment leadtimes extending, the future growth of the TFT LCD market, supply/demand and pricing will be heavily dependent on supply chain growth.

At its upcoming US FPD Conference taking place at the Sheraton San Diego Hotel & Marina from March 30 to April 1, DisplaySearch has assembled many of the supply chain market leaders to discuss how they are ramping up to support the rapid growth in the TFT LCD industry, analyzing the challenges they face and their future outlook as described below:

Session 5: Keynote Session

-- Donald B. McNaughton, Senior Vice President of Corning's

Display Group, will present Corning's TFT LCD glass substrate

market outlook. Corning is the dominant glass substrate

supplier holding more than a 50% share for at least the past

14 consecutive quarters. Glass substrates are currently in

shortage.

Session 8: FPD Materials

-- Yoshio Tamura, DisplaySearch Vice President, will provide an

outlook for glass, color filter, CCFL and other critical

segments of the materials and components markets. Mr. Tamura

will also discuss component pricing trends and their effect on

the cost of displays.

-- Kent C.M. Lee, Ph.D. Commercial Vice President at color filter

supplier AMTC, will discuss the opportunities and challenges

for component manufacturing in Taiwan. AMTC currently employs

two color filter lines. The company is in the process of

adding capacity as color filters are also in shortage, while

also diversifying into masks, polarizers and photoresist

materials.

-- Dr. Peter Le Masurier, Market Research Manager at Merck's

Liquid Crystal Division, will provide Merck's perspective on

technical trends in and the outlook for the liquid crystal

market. Merck is the leading supplier of liquid crystal to the

TFT LCD market.

-- Noburu Sasaki General Manager, FPD Materials Division, and

Hiroyuki Mori, Research Associate, FPD Market Research

Laboratories of Fuji Photo Film, the dominant supplier of wide

viewing angle film, will jointly present the status and

prospects of polarizers, optical compensation and

anti-reflection films used in LCDs. The expanding LCD market

for large monitors and TVs demands higher performance from

optical films, which play an important role in enhancing image

quality.

-- Mark Pugh, Vice President, Strategic Development, New Business

Development at Lumileds, will discuss how LEDs can improve

performance in TFT LCDs and other FPD applications.

Session 9: FPD Equipment

-- Charles Annis, Director of FPD Equipment Market Research,

DisplaySearch, will reveal results of the newly updated Q1'04

DisplaySearch TFT LCD supply and capital equipment forecasts,

providing the market outlook for the FPD equipment market. The

discussion will highlight next generation substrate sizes,

investment scope and timing issues.

-- Ruurd Boomsma, Executive Vice President, Display Division,

Unaxis Displays, in a presentation entitled "Architecture

Overview of Unaxis' 7th Gen CVD System," will explain how the

company's unique stacked chamber design meets the difficult

challenges of large glass silicon and passivation layer

depositions in the single largest segment of the TFT LCD

equipment market expected to exceed $900 million in 2004.

-- Noam Cohen, Vice President of Marketing of the Display

Division at automated optical inspection (AOI) equipment

market leader Orbotech, will examine the requirements and

technical challenges of inspecting 40" plus televisions, and

the role of defect classification technologies in improving

yields. Mr. Cohen will also discuss new AOI applications for

TV panel manufacturing, making it one of the fastest growing

segments of the FPD equipment industry.

-- Thomas T. Edman, President and CEO of leading color filter

sputtering equipment supplier Applied Films, will cover major

color filter manufacturing trends, focusing particularly on

the recent surge in investment and the expansion of substrate

size requirements to 7th gen.

A detailed agenda can also be found at http://www.displaysearch.com/usfpd2004/agenda2004.htm. In addition to the equipment and materials sessions, other sessions will cover FPD manufacturing from the perspective of TFT LCD supply/demand, Taiwan TFT LCD suppliers, OLEDs, a-Si vs. p-Si as OLED backplanes and TV display technology.

The DisplaySearch US FPD Conference is the world's largest FPD business conference covering four days and over 70 speakers. It has consistently attracted top industry participants throughout the FPD food chain, including equipment and materials suppliers, panel suppliers, OEMs, brands, distributors, retailers, financial analysts and the high technology media.

To register, please visit www.DisplaySearch.com/usfpd2004. The registration price for the 6th Annual DisplaySearch US FPD Conference is $1,695 and includes admission to all general sessions, the exhibit hall, all meals and networking events and a copy of the proceedings in print and on CD.

Presenting companies at the 6th Annual DisplaySearch US FPD Conference include ABN AMRO, ActiveLight, AMTC, Analog Devices, Apple Computer, Applied Films, AUO, CIBC, CMO, Corning, Dell, DisplaySearch, E Ink, FUJI Photo Film, Gateway, HannStar, Hitachi, IBM, Ignis Innovation, InFocus, Intel, Japan Picture Quality & Technology Laboratory, Kodak, LG Electronics, LG.Philips Displays, LG.Philips LCD, Lumileds, Microsemi, Mitsubishi Electric, Motorola, National Semiconductor, Nokia, Optrex America, Orbotech, OTB Engineering, Panasonic, Philips, Pixelworks, Plasmaco, RiTdisplay, Salomon Smith Barney, Samsung Electronics, Samsung SDI, Silicon Image, Sony, SVA-USA, TAITRA, Texas Instruments, Toppoly, Toshiba America Electronics Components, Unaxis Displays, Universal Display Corporation and Vitex Systems.

Sponsors of the 6th Annual DisplaySearch US FPD Conference include CustomRetailer, Dealerscope, Analog Devices, Genesis Microchip, LG.Philips LCD, Microsemi, Samsung Electronics, TAITRA, Unaxis Displays, Lumileds, AU Optronics, Cleverdis, DICOM, DVT, ElectronicDisplayCentral.com, Pixelworks, Toshiba America Electronic Components, Unaxis, USDC and Xicor.

For more information about the events and the opportunities available, please contact Kendra Smith by phone at 512-459-3126 or by email at [e-mail], or visit www.DisplaySearch.com/usfpd2004.