First-quarter flat-panel-display revenues down

JUNE 12-According to flat-panel-display market-research company DisplaySearch (Austin, TX; www.displaysearch.com), large-area (10.4-in. and larger) thin-film-transistor (TFT) liquid-crystal-display (LCD) unit shipments for the notebook PC, LCD monitor, LCD TV, and industrial- and Internet-appliance markets rose 3% sequentially and 36% year-over-year to a record 8.6 million panels in this year's first quarter. Despite the significant unit growth, first-quarter large-area TFT LCD revenues fell 17% percent year-over-year to $2.8 billion as average selling prices declined 17% sequentially and 39% year-over-year to $325. Significant growth in capacity combined with reduced fab utilization pushed average selling prices near the previous low of $321 recorded in the third quarter of 1998.

It appears that the panel technology that came before TFT, known as super-twisted nematic (STN), is finally taking its last gasp. Large-area STN-LCD-module shipments are expected to fall 83% in 2001, from 2.1 million to 360,000 units, and to disappear from the market completely in the third quarter because of the superior performance and lower prices of similar-sized TFT LCD modules.

Samsung (Seoul, South Korea) maintained its number-one position in the market and surpassed LG.Philips LCD (also Seoul) for the first time in LCD monitor revenues on an OEM revenue basis due to its strong 17-in. focus. Samsung experienced 106% sequential unit growth for 17-in. LCD-monitor modules. Its OEM revenues for the first quarter were $635 million, down 16%.

LG.Philips LCD, a joint venture between LG Electronics Inc. and Philips Electronics, enjoyed the fastest sequential growth of any of the top-10 suppliers at 20.4%, with year-over-year growth at 40% as it boosted glass input and output from two of its three fabs. LG.Philips gained market share in all large-area applications and reclaimed the number-two position in notebook modules.