Livermore laser lamp solution aids FPD manufacture

17 Jun 2002

Arc-lamp light-distribution technology developed by Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for lasers is seeing use by Intevac (Rocklin, CA) in making flat-panel displays. The method permits panel-production procedures that previously took up to 30 hours to be performed in five minutes. The lamps in the company's original processor failed to produce high enough temperatures or uniform heat on glass panels during processing of polysilicon active-matrix liquid-crystal displays., Livermore physicists Lloyd Hackel and Luis Zapata replaced a metal reflector with a diffuse-reflecting Teflon-like material having a cooling system. A laboratory design program helped shape the reflector for energy uniformity. Energy reaching the glass went from 40% to 90%, with uniformity variations dropping to 8% from 30%. Other uses may be in making electroluminescent displays and improving solar-cell efficiency.