Liquid Crystals and more...

... from Merck KGaA · Darmstadt · Germany

 2 Content

Content
A

B
Setting new records with liquid crystals

Innovation and foresight pay off: LCDs dominate the display industry 4
3

1) Twisted Nematic (TN) displays: still the working horse  4

2) Vertical Alignment (VA) and Inplane Switching (IPS): the rising champions  5

C Emerging technologies  6
1) OLED materials  6
2) Reactive Mesogens  7
3) Organic Electronics materials  8
4) Structuring Solutions  9

D Merck: Pioneering spirit, potential and innovation  10

Contact addresses  11
 Setting new records with liquid crystals A 3

Setting new records

with liquid crystals

Sharper, faster, bigger – and, above all, more and more widespread: that is a brief description of the
global success story of LC displays. It also describes the development of liquid crystals from Merck,
the undisputed global leader in liquid crystals. There’s hardly a flat-screen television, PC monitor,
notebook, mobile phone or navigation system not containing our key product. Yet the discovery of
liquid crystals by the botanist Friedrich Reinitzer in 1888 was a coincidence more than anything.
While heating cholesteryl benzoate he noticed that, although liquid at a temperature of 145.5°
Celsius, it did not become a clear liquid until 178.5° Celsius. However, at that time and in the decades
that followed, technical applications for this fascinating discovery of a special state of aggregation
were simply lacking.

The advent of digital displays in quartz watches and clocks in the 1970s, however, marked the
meteoric rise in LCD technology, as ever more application possibilities began to emerge. With
increasing display size, the first notebooks with monochrome displays were introduced to the market
at the end of the 1980s. The triumphant success of mobile phones and color PC monitors began in the
1990s, and presently that of large flat-screen televisions. Today we know that LCDs are the
communication display technology par excellence and will remain the dominant technology for
many years to come. Today, Merck owns more than 2,500 patents on LC materials and their
applications. In close cooperation with LCD manufacturers, we continue to work on improved
properties. In order to constantly meet the high quality requirements of our customers and growing
market demand, we have significantly expanded our synthesis capacities in Germany and have
invested in our three Asian locations for the production of LC mixtures close to our customers.

In this way we ensure innovative technology and supply for a growing and demanding market. www.merck4displays.com

Global competence, local expertise: LC innovation and production sites in Asia

Merck Advanced Technologies Ltd., Merck Ltd., Merck Display Technologies Ltd.,
Poseung-Myon, Korea Atsugi, Japan Taoyuan, Taiwan
 4 B Innovation and foresight pay off: LCDs dominate the display industry

Innovation and foresight pay off

LCDs dominate the display industry
1) Twisted Nematic (TN) displays: still the working horse

Today, main applications for Active Matrix TN
LCDs are computer monitors and notebook PCs.
The response time of computer monitors has
significantly been improved from over 16 ms
several years ago to 5 ms routinely, and even to
2 ms for special applications. Efforts for further
reduction in response time are on-going. These
very fast switching times have been achieved
by optimization of the LCD design (i.e. reduc-
tion of the cell gap, electronic over-driving etc.)
and of the LC mixtures. For the latter, the key
parameter for fast switching is the rotational
viscosity. Due to the lower operation voltage
of notebook PCs, response times are generally
slower than for monitors. But also for notebook
use response times of the LCDs have continu-
ously been improved during the last years from
more than 25 ms to less than 10 ms, and further
reduction is under way. Merck has strongly sup-
ported the development of fast response time TN
LCDs by the development of new LC materials.
An example of the improvement in viscosity by
our new generation of LC materials is shown in
the diagram.

V10 [V]
2.18
2.16 Conventional (∆n = 0.132)
2.14 New (∆n = 0.132)
2.12 Conventional (∆n = 0.143)
2.10 New (∆n = 0.143)
2.08
2.06
-5 % -15 %
2.04
2.02
2.00
1.98
1.96
160 170 180 190 200 210 220 230 240 250
γ1/(Keff *∆n2) [mPas/pN]
 Innovation and foresight pay off: LCDs dominate the display industry B 5
2) Vertical Alignment (VA) and Inplane Switching (IPS): the rising champions
Merck has not only developed superior LC
materials for these new LCD modes but has also
largely contributed to their development and
improvement. Typical applications for these
technologies are LCD TVs. The most important
issue for the panels is how to improve the
motion blur that is caused by the holding picture
of the LCDs. This motion blur occurs even if the
switching time of the LCDs approaches zero.
Several ideas have been proposed to solve this
problem or at least to reduce its visibility, e.g.
blinking backlight scanning, black stripes
insertion, frequency enhancement and so on.
However, technologies like blinking backlight
scanning and black stripes insertion deteriorate
brightness and contrast. Therefore the main
stream technology in this days will be the
frequency enhancement with impulse type
driving. This in turn requires very fast switching
LC materials for VA and IPS LCDs, in particular
for large area TV applications. In order to fulfill
this requirement, Merck has successfully
identified new LC materials.
Safety of Liquid Crystals and other
products of the LC division
Liquid crystals, Reactive Mesogens, OLED materials and
other products from Merck´s LC division are neither
acutely toxic nor mutagenic, nor are they suspected to
be carcinogenic. They are also not harmful to aquatic
organisms and show only a very low toxicological and
ecotoxicological potential.
The battle between LCDs and PDPs (Plasma
Display Panels) for TV application is still
on-going, however, LCDs are clearly in the lead
now. And, in Q1/2008 the number of LCD TVs
sold has surpassed that of CRT TVs for the first
time ever.
The switching time of LCD TVs has continuously
been improved even taking into account the
Motion Picture Response Times (MPRT). The MPRT
of LCDs now is approaching to the level of PDPs.
The contrast of LCDs has also been significantly
improved even in the dark environment, whereas
under usual ambient illumination the contrast of
LCD TVs has always been perceived as being better
than that of PDP TVs, and regarding resolution
they have always been superior to PDP TVs.
Merck offers a wide variety of liquid crystal
mixtures for all important main stream
technologies such as TN (passive and active
matrix driving), STN (Supertwisted Nematic), VA
and IPS, but also for special technologies such as
Dichroic, PDLC (Polymer Dispersed Liquid
Crystals) and SSCT (Surface Stabilized Choles-
teric Texture) displays.
 6 C Emerging technologies

Emerging technologies
1) OLED materials

The Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) technology has gained significant attention over the last
few years for display as well as for lighting applications. Merck is heavily involved in the research
and development of Small Molecule and Polymer materials for both applications. Through the
acquisition of Covion Organic Semiconductors in 2005, Merck has added over 10 years of
OLED experience to its material portfolio for the display and electronics industries.

The range of materials currently offered by Merck includes polymers for passive
and active matrix display applications as well as polymers for lighting
applications. Also available are polymers as interlayer and hole injection
materials and formulations for printing and spin coating. Merck also offers
small molecules, i.e. a range of red and green triplet emitters, respective
matrix materials, blue singlet emitters with matching hosts and hole
injection materials.

With the extensive experience in manufacturing OLED materials and organic

electronics, Merck can provide high purity and high stability materials that
meet our customers’ needs. We continuously pursue material developments
that will enable the exciting OLED products of tomorrow.

2) Reactive Mesogens
Since invention, Reactive Mesogen (RM) materials
have been considered for many novel applications
ranging from anisotropic optical fibre coatings to
Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems (MEMS).
Merck however, has remained focussed on
commercialising RM materials for LCD optical film
applications, and has now proven that the technol-
ogy is mass producible and commercially viable.
Commercialisation of Merck RMs:
LCD technology is maturing and spreading to a
wide range of applications from small area, high
performance, mobile displays, to large area,
high-definition displays for LCD TV. This growth
has resulted in markedly increasing requirements
for optical films. Reactive mesogen technology
finds itself in the enviable position of being able to
provide solutions for the vast majority of these
applications.
Merck’s RM materials for homeotropic films are
now used in large area LCD TVs based upon IPS
technology, providing a wide viewing angle and
good color performance, fuelling the dominance of
LCD or flat screen TV applications. Our materials
for patterned incell RM layers have now been
commercialised for transflective LCD’s. This is the
first commercial application of incell technology
and paves the way for other incell optical
elements, which should reduce the cost, thickness
and durability of mobile displays. Merck’s
materials for splayed and planar RM films find
uses in small area mobile displays where the thin
film thickness and asymmetric director profiles are
advantageous. Furthermore, our materials for
tight-pitch uniaxial and biased biaxial cholesteric
RM films can be used as viewing angle compensa-
Homeotropic Patterned Splayed
Emerging technologies C 7
Optical films made
tors in VA and TN-LCD, taking advantage of the from Merck RM
thin films and integrating multiple optical films materials improve
into one. With widespread acceptance of RMs in the performance of
LCD applications, we are now considering RM LCDs, i.e. increase the
materials requirements for non-LCD applications, viewing angle.
such as optical pick-up elements in data storage
and other consumer electronics applications.
RM Development:
For each application, there are specific material
requirements and Merck is continuously working
to optimize both the single materials chemical
structures and the mixture formulation towards
the application targets. We have dedicated
Chemistry and Mixture Development Teams to
improve and customise our materials. Our ongoing
development targets are typically to provide high
durability and adhesion, hard surface films, air vs.
nitrogen curing, Mura-free coating and good
solubility. Processes used to polymerise RM films
can significantly affect the final film properties.
We have studied these dependencies and
understand the optimum processing conditions for
our materials. Merck offers a range of standard
products designed for various applications. In
addition, for high volume potential applications
we offer customized materials development.
Modes of optical
films using
Merck´s RMs
Planar UV Cholesteric Biased UV
Cholesteric
 8 C Emerging technologies
3) Organic Electronics materials
Merck offers a range of semiconductor formula-
tions and ancillary materials to enable solution
printing of the integrated circuitry that will
enable new generations of printed electronics
devices. These innovative materials are based on
conjugated aromatic molecules with delocalized
electronic systems, optimally tailored to exhibit
optimum charge transport properties for
transistors. We incorporate these materials into
ready-to-use ink formulations, specifically
designed for a range of fabrication processes.
Synthesis of these specialty materials is carried
out under the high purity conditions demanded
by these high performance devices, also consid-
ering environmental issues.
Examination of an organic thin film transistor array, solution-processed on to a plastic substrate
Large area, continuous manufacturing, utilising
conventional additive printing processes, are
predicted to open up a host of new and exciting
applications, enabled by the lower cost, large
area and flexible form factors that can be
provided by organic electronics technology. For
example, display backplanes using organic TFT
circuitry, provide an excellent complement to
flexible displays such as the electrophoretic
effect for E-paper applications. In the area of
product identification information, low cost
organic RFID transponders tags may replace
conventional barcodes, offering more informa-
tion content without line-of-sight requirements.
Simple electronic toys, gadgets and cards, as
well as organic photovoltaics are also envisaged
as possible entry opportunities for organic
electronics.
 Emerging technologies C 9

4) Structuring Solutions
All Flat Panel Displays and Solar Cells consist of
semiconducting, insulating and/or AR-layers. In
many applications these functional layers need to
be structured or even to be removed on certain
areas for electrical or packaging reasons (i.e.
creation of vias in SiNx, removing ITO areas for
touch panel silver wires).
Patterning the surfaces by lithography, evapora-
tion masks or by laser scribing methods show
some intrinsic disadvantages, since they are either
too expensive and cause particle contamination
or are prone to damaging the substrate surfaces.
Equipment
The structuring process requires commonly used,
readily available equipment (i.e. screen printer,
soldering belt furnace, rinsing bath) only.
A standard screen printer, i.e. for silver line
printing application, in combination with
screens, i.e. stainless steel wires with standard
emulsions can be used.
Moreover Merck offers isishapeTM products
designed for other printing techniques i.e.
dispensing methods (please ask for details).
Environmental Aspects
The isishapeTM products fully support the Green
Factory concept.
The formulations contain lower concentrations
of etching species as well as less organic solvents
versus other wet processes. Due to very good
material utilization (typically 100 mg per 6”
wafer used, may vary by application), water
consumption is minimized. In addition, the
cleaning step, rinsing in DI-water, requires no
organic detergent.
The combination of both factors leads to very
low BOD values of <3 mg/l in the waste water.
(BOD = Biological Oxygen Demand).

Patterning Properties:
By using the appropriate isishapeTM product, the removal of the top layer material
is chemically selective, i.e. SiO2 material can be etched away without damaging the
ITO layer underneath.
Applying isishapeTM products for patterning of an amorphous TCO layer, will not
cause any damage to a plastic foil substrate.
With appropriate in-line equipment a tact time up to 2 seconds is possible.
The pattern resolution depends on the printing method, the pattern type and the
layer topography. By using regular screen-printing equipment, lateral feature
dimensions of less than 40 µm can be achieved.

Process Steps:
Merck offers a new solution for structuring layers or substrate surfaces in 4 simple steps:
1) Print a small amount of isishapeTM etching paste only where you want to remove
some material.
2) Heat up the substrate with the printed paste pattern (>100°C).
The etching starts only where the paste was printed.
3) Clean the substrate by rinsing in DI-water only.
4) Dry the substrate.
 10 D Merck: Pioneering spitit, potential and innovation
Liquid crystals : The botanist
Friedrich Reinitzer was the
first to observe a peculiar
behavior of cholesteryl
benzoate while investigating
its melting point; the
physicist Otto Lehmann
explained it by assuming a
new, yet unknown state of
aggregation and introduced
the term “liquid crystals”.
Since 1904, suitable
substances with liquid
crystalline properties have
their place not only in this
box of collections from the
laboratory but also in
Merck‘s catalog of
chemicals.
Merck: Pioneering spirit,
potential and innovation
Merck is a global pharmaceutical and chemical group. In 2007, Merck Group sales totaled approxima-
tely ¤ 7.06 billion. Following the acquisition of the Swiss biotech firm Serono in early 2007 and the
diversifaction of the Generics business in October 2007, around 31,000 people work for Merck in 60
countries.
Merck is pursuing a strategy of "focused diversification" with the three divisions of its Pharmaceuticals
business sector and the two divisions of the Chemicals business sector. The Pharmaceuticals business
comprises branded prescription drugs, e.g. for the treatment of cancer, neurological and growth
disorders, cardiovascular diseases and infertility. Merck also offers generics over-the-counter pharma-
ceutical products.
The Chemicals business sector offers chemicals for sophisticated applications: liquid crystals for
displays, effect pigments for industrial applications and cosmetics, analytical reagents and test kits,
as well as products and services along the entire process chain of the pharmaceutical and biotech
industry.
Merck is the world’s oldest pharmaceutical and chemical company, with roots dating back to 1668.
From the start of industrial production in 1827 to first research into liquid crystals more than 100 years
ago up to our entry into targeted cancer therapy with the launch of Erbitux® in 2003, many milestones
in the company’s history provide strong evidence of the pioneering spirit of the people at Merck. At the
beginning of 2007, Merck took a significant step to strengthen itself in a highly promising sector by
announcing its intention to join forces with Serono, Europe’s leading biopharmaceutical company.
Merck Serono – the combination of the former Serono with the previous ethical drugs buiness of Merck
– stands for the link between innovative biotechnology and established pharmaceutical science – a link
that is widely considered to offer tremendous potential.
For Merck, employees who think and act entrepreneurially, a corporate culture that creates trust and
makes innovation possible, application-oriented research and development, a resolute customer focus,
and responsible handling of natural resources are the keys to success.

Contact addresses
Germany Merck KGaA
LC Marketing & Sales
Ms. Silke Endres
Frankfurter Str. 250
D-64293 Darmstadt
Phone: +49 (0)61 51/ 72-29 61
Fax: +49 (0)61 51/ 72-31 32
silke.endres@merck.de
Japan Merck Ltd.
Ms. Kaoru Takahashi
ARCO Tower, 5F.
8-1, Shimomeguro 1-chome
Meguro ku
Tokyo 153-8927
Phone: +813-5434-4909
Fax: +813-5434-4707
kaoru.takahashi@merck.co.jp
Korea Merck Advanced Technologies Ltd.
Ms. Athena Kim
Haesung-2-Bldg., 4th Floor
942-10, Daechi-3-dong, Kangnam-ku
Seoul
Phone: +822-2185-3892
Fax: +822-2185-3880
yeon-jung.kim@merck.co.kr
Contact Adresses E 11
Taiwan Merck Display Technologies Ltd.
Ms. Cathy Chang
No. 39, Ching Chien 1st. Road
Kuan Yin Industrial Park
Taoyuan, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Phone: +886-3-4836521 ext. 2311
Fax: +886-3-4160440
cathy.chang@merck.com.tw
Hong Kong Merck Ltd.
Ms. Emma Chu
29th Floor,
No. 3 Lockhart Road
Wanchai
Hong Kong, P. R. China
Phone: +852 2376 6321
Fax: + 852 2576 1912
emma.chu@merck.com.hk
USA EMD Chemicals
an affiliate of Merck KGaA,
Darmstadt, Germany
Mr. Barry Seff
480 South Democrat Road
Gibbstown, NJ 08027
Phone: +1-856-599-6613
Fax: +1-856-423-4389
barry.seff@emdchemicals.com
Publication contributors
Published in May 2008 by Merck KGaA,
Liquid Crystals Division, Marketing & Sales,
D-64271 Darmstadt, Germany
Editorial responsibility: Dr. Werner Becker, LC T & RA
Design and typesetting: Brigitte Schneider, CC/C Graphic Design
Printing: Frotscher Druck, Darmstadt, Germany
Merck KGaA Germany
Frankfurter Str. 250
D-64293 Darmstadt
www.merck.de

Liquid Crystals Division:

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