Backlit displays with UV filter extend life of LCD screens

Mitterteich, Germany (ots) - SCHOTT-Rohrglas has developed two novel types of glass that prolong the operating life of LCD flat-screen displays.

The life expectancy of LCD screens is limited, among other factors, by the fact that the backlights - a type of miniaturized neon tube that makes the image on the display visible - emit ultraviolet (UV) radiation.This UV radiation damages vital plastic components inside the screen.

This is why SCHOTT-Rohrglas has developed the two new glass types 8688 (tungsten-based) and 8271 (kovar), both of which are characterized by a special UV screening effect to protect the plastic components from premature aging.

The demands made on the life expectancy of components are particularly on the rise due to the development of large-format LCD flat screens, which are increasingly replacing traditional cathode ray TVs. As opposed to current applications, such as in laptops or cell phones, TV sets are replaced far more rarely.

The UV radiation responsible for the damage to the plastic components occurs in the invisible wavelength range between 254 and 313 nm. The two new glass types are the first to allow for an effective UV filter to be incorporated in the glass structure itself exactly within this frequency range, such that no complex coating is necessary at a later stage.

"With these backlights, SCHOTT-Rohrglas has opened up a new business area for the future", explains Andreas Reisse, Head of the Business Segment Tubing at SCHOTT-Rohrglas in Mitterteich, Germany. "Our main advantage is that there is currently no competitor anywhere in the world who can produce this UV screening glass", continues Mr. Reisse.

Already one of the world's leading manufacturers of special glass tubes, SCHOTT-Rohrglas plans to triple its sales of backlight glass over the next two years - a realistic aim, considering the rapid growth in the market for flat LCD screens.

picture caption: Backlight tubes for LCD displays: UV filter extends life of LCD screens remarkably. PI 61/2004, PHOTO: SCHOTT

Press photos as high resolution files can be downloaded at: http://schott-multimedia.de/Presse-2/Backlight_tubes/

SCHOTT is an international technology-driven group that sees its core purpose as the lasting improvement of living and working conditions through special materials, components and high-tech solutions. Its main areas of focus are the household appliances industry, optics and electronics, pharmaceuticals and renewable energies. SCHOTT has a presence in close proximity to its customers through highly efficient production and sales companies in all its major markets. It has 18,700 employees producing worldwide sales of 2 billion euros. The company's technological and economic expertise is closely linked with its social and ecological responsibility.

ots Original Text Service: SCHOTT AG

Internet: http://www.presseportal.de

No. 61/2004 August 2004

Editor: Matthias Reinig

Phone +49 (0) 61 31/ 66-40 94

Fax +49 (0) 61 31/ 66-40 41

E-Mail: matthias.reinig@schott.com http://www.schott.com

Contact Information

Jörg Döscher

SCHOTT-Rohrglas GmbH

Erich-Schott-Str. 14 95660 Mitterteich, Germany

Phone +49/(0)9633 / 80-252