Japan agency selects Samsung for new semiconductor tech

The state-run Japanese Science and Technology Agency will sell Samsung Electronics its patented technology of a new semiconductor developed with the help of a Japanese government subsidy.

The groundbreaking technology raises display resolution 10 times and allows LCD display to be produced in a super large size. For Tokyo to sell its next-generation core technology to a Korean company ahead of Japanese rivals is considered unusual.

Samsung plans to use the technology to commercialize new LCDs in one or two years.

According to Samsung Electronics Thursday, the Japanese agency signed a license contract the day before that allows Samsung to use technologies related to the new semiconductor.

The new semiconductor is far more efficient thin film transistor (TFT) and can send electricity 10 to 20 times faster than previous silicon-based semiconductors. If used in LCDs, it can enhance resolution 10-fold or more and can be applied to highly precise large-screen LCDs and smartphones.

A Tokyo Engineering University team led by professor Hideo Hosono received government support and applied for a patent for the technology in 2004, and released the technology in the magazine "Nature" in November that year.

Based on the result, display companies at home and abroad started further research, and Samsung was the first to develop a 70-inch super large LCD panel by using the technology.

Vice Executive President Moon Joo-tae at Samsung`s LCD R&D Center said, “Since we signed the license contract, we will introduce a super-large LCD panel in one or two years.”

The Japanese Science and Technology Agency, which owns the patent rights, said it chose Samsung over other Japanese companies because Samsung was the most aggressive in R&D and commercial use as the world’s best display producer.

This could mean the agency will sell its technology to the company most ready to commercialize it as soon as possible regardless of nationality. The agency will receive a percentage of the revenues generated from products using the technology.

Since the deal is not an exclusive contract, the agency will sign license contracts with other Japanese makers.

Japanese media predicted that the patent income of the research team led by professor Hosono will equal that of blue LED developed by Nagoya University professor Isamu Akasaki, which cost approximately 75 billion won (71 million U.S. dollars). This is the largest patent income for a Japanese university.