This laboratory conducts R&D activities for optically functional films and color resists used for LC and OLED displays and photoresists used in the semiconductor manufacturing process and compound semiconductor materials.

With a view to providing customers with high-function, high-value added products in response to their needs promptly, the laboratory is focused on the development of materials required for these products. Furthermore, the laboratory seeks to move ahead of time to develop next-generation technologies and materials, capitalizing on the technical and technological prowess in chemistry it has accumulated to date.

Polarizing films are indispensable for LC and OLED displays. They help contribute to the improvements in brightness, contrast, viewing angle and other performances of the display. We are developing materials for coating polarzing films used in the next-generation, flexible displays.

In flexible displays which are drawing attention as the next-generation display, all the materials will need to be flexible. Cover glass, a must in display devices, is no exception. As an alternative, we have developed a light and shock-resistant cover film which can be bent repeatedly. We are making positive contributions toward the birth of flexible displays.

The touch screen sensor panel is a very sophisticated sensor device because high degrees of position accuracy and sensitivity are required to correctly detect the finger touch as electric signals. From rigid glass sensors to film sensors for curved displays, we will continue our R&D to support the future evolution of display devices.

Color resists are important materials that govern the color characteristics of color filters for LC and OLED displays. Sumitomo Chemical was the first in the world to develop dye-based color resists that demonstrate superbly higher brightness and wider color gamut than conventional products. This was possible through the combination of its time-proven expertise in organic synthesis and color material technology accumulated in dyestuff manufacturing. We will continue the R&D activities to respond to newer requirements in the color characteristics of displays.

We are making R&D and industrialization efforts on photoresists as they are critical vehicles for higher integration of semiconductors. By offering photoresists that meet the requirements in i-line, KrF excimer laser, ArF excimer laser and immersion ArF excimer laser lithography, we are playing our role in the advancement of semiconductor devices. We are also working on the R&D of EUV resists for use in the next-generation, cutting-edge semiconductor manufacturing process.

Compound semiconductors such as GaAs and GaN are increasingly used in broad applications because of their uniquely excellent properties that cannot be matched by silicon semiconductors. We are expediting the R&D of new materials with a view to reducing the environmental burden. Discontinuing the use of hazardous elements, substrate and epitaxial wafers for power devices to reduce energy consumption are examples of our approaches.

An advantage of our separators is the coating of a heat-resistant layer formed from aramid resin, which offers high thermal stability, on a polyolefin film, thereby contributing to improvements in the safety of batteries, which have increasingly larger capacities. In response to the rapid growth in the market for lithium-ion secondary batteries, we are increasing production capabilities and developing products that address customer needs.

Sumitomo Chemical’s high performance engineering plastics are used in a wide range of applications, including electrical and electronic components, separation membrane materials, and carbon fiber composite materials for aircraft. We strive to create new high-performance products that meet contemporary demands, including for improvements for the different applications, digital transformation, and energy and resource savings.