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NEW APPLICATION FOR MAKROLON : DIFFUSER SHEETS FOR LCD SCREENS
An interesting new application has emerged for Bayer MaterialScience's AG Makrolon polycarbonate. It is being used for the first time in the production of diffuser sheets for large-sized flat LCD screens. ”Our material has several advantages over polyacrylates such as PMMA, which is the most important competitor material for this innovative application. It has induced screen manufacturers in South Korea and Taiwan, for example, to use polycarbonate for diffuser sheets in the production of large LCD screens,” says Dr. Claus Rüdiger, an LCD expert in the Polycarbonates Business Unit. In view of the growing popularity of home cinema, it is reliably predicted that this kind of flat screen will enjoy considerable market success in the future. Diffuser sheets are used on the back of the monitor in the backlight unit which illuminates the picture-generating LCD. Their function is to convert the light from special ultra-bright fluorescent tubes into diffuse, uniform, two-dimensional light, and transmitting it to the liquid crystal display without loss. ”Our tailor-made variant of Makrolon has better optical properties than PMMA. The diffuser sheets made from it therefore produce a much brighter light, which benefits image quality. They can therefore be made thinner than their PMMA counterparts,” explains Rüdiger. The brightness criterion is very important for picture quality because only around 10 percent of the light produced by the fluorescent tubes actually reaches the eye of the TV viewer. Most of the rest is absorbed by the LCD. ”The key in developing the new material was to simultaneously optimize what are basically two contrasting material properties, namely light transmission and light scattering,” notes Rüdiger. The new PC product grade is also superior with respect to its mechanical and thermal properties. It is much more heat-resistant and dimensionally stable than PMMA and also has lower water absorption. This ensures that the diffuser sheets basically do not lose their shape and that the LCD is always illuminated evenly over its entire lifetime. When processing the sheets and assembling the screens, the high impact strength and break resistance of polycarbonate come into their own. Greater safety also results from polycarbonate's higher fire resistance, because it does not produce flaming droplets. ”We succeeded in developing the new Makrolon grades in just 18 months,” says Fumika Kaneko, Global Key Account Manager with Bayer MaterialScience in Japan. ”This is down to the close cooperation with the South Korean manufacturer of LCD panels and a large Taiwanese producer of backlights, an excellent demonstration of how we work closely with our customers.” Bayer MaterialScience will produce the diffuser sheets itself. ”We are globally positioned in the sheets business as regards production, marketing, technical service and sales. This means we can supply potential customers of diffuser sheets direct in all the key economic regions, and provide our services locally,” says Kaneko. http://www.bayermaterialscience.com
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