Canon, Toshiba seed venture for SED flat TVs

[Gregg Lengling]

TOKYO — Canon Corp. and Toshiba Corp. are finalizing preparations for a venture that would produce flat-panel televisions based on surface-conduction electron-emitter display (SED) technology. The two companies intend to demonstate prototypes at the Winter Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas in January.


Canon and Toshiba will start selling the large-sized flat TVs in 2005, according to a report in a local Japanese newspaper.


The SED display, which is based on field emission, is Canon's proprietary technology that Canon has been working on since the mid 80s. The company showed a 10-inch prototype panel at SID in 1998. At that time, Canon had been working with Victor Company of Japan, Ltd. (JVC) to implement the SED technology into a TV set. JVC eventually pulled out of the venture.


Canon and Toshiba officially announced the partnership in SED development and business opportunities in June 1999 when it showing a 10-inch prototype. From the beginning both companies aimed the technology at TV applications and had planned to establish a joint venture production company. The two companies said then that they were going to develop panels of 30-inch to probably 50-inch diagonal size.


The SED is said to havve advantages in productivity, performance and sizes vis-a-vis existing flat panels such as LCDs and plasma. SEDs can be fabricated mostly using ordinary printing methods. Because SEDs drive electrons at about 10kV — close to that of CRTs — they can use phosphors widely used in CRTs. This makes them CRT equivalent self-emitting displays and very thin: a 40-inch sized panel can be no thicker than 10 mm, weigh less than 20kg and consume around 60W.


At the 1999 announcement, the two companies said that they would complete technology development by 2001 and begin volume production in 2002 by establishing a joint manufacturing company. While the display quality was already considered excellent then, the technology was not ready for volume production yet.


Now, the two companies acknowledge that SED technology development for TVs has reached a point where establishing a joint venture company sometime next year makes sense. Toshiba has formed a project team with a staff of 100 dedicated to SEDs as of October 1 this year.


The two companies, however, said that other issues such as the exact production timing, total investment amount, production bases, prices and how to share the business are still open.


Toshiba has decided to withdraw from CRT production by September 2004. The flat TV market is growing fast, but Toshiba does not carry plasma display TVs and depends on an OEM supply for LCD TVs. Thus, the SED business will enable Toshiba to make use of its CRT factories.


Canon does not have a strong display business at present. The SED business is expected to benefit the company by it diversifying into displays.