Fonon Display and Semiconductor systems announces the new generation of laser cutting technology for G6 and G8 FPD Glass substrates

		info@laserphotonics.com 407-804-1000 Ext. 240 3217 Yattika Place Longwood, FL 32779 USA

	FONON TECHNOLOGY PRESS RELEASE	Tuesday, May 30, 2006

Longwood, Fl -- May 18, 2006 -- Fonon Technology International, Inc (www.laserphotonics.com) the world-renowned inventor and Manufacturer of equipment based on Zero Width Laser Cutting Technology™ (ZWLCT™) has announced the latest innovation in laser scribing for the Flat Panel Display (FPD) Industry. The new generation of glass laser cutting equipment - Fantom™ G6 product line based on a F300GL c3 Laser Corporation integrated laser module.

The mathematical modeling and physical tests lead to a brand new Laser Beam Shape generated directly by the F300GL laser head resulting in Full Separation of 0.5 – 0.7 mm glass at 500 to 700 mm per second (has been achieved in the company lab on G4 glass for selective applications).

The F300GL Integrated CO2 laser system has no need for external beam shaping optical elements and field alignment, and provides virtually maintenance free, 24/7 operation and a laser replacement procedure less then 30-minutes.

Results achieved on G4 glass suggests that the new technology can be used for building industrial grade laser cutting equipment for generation 6 and 8 glass panels.

The new product and technology will be available as a stand alone glass cutting system, as a component for the in line system form Fonon DSS, and as an OEM package from C3 Laser Corporation – subsidiary of Fonon Technology.

With the exponential growth of the cost of scribing equipment with increase of glass panel sizes from G3.5 to G6 and G8 the laser head is no longer a price prohibitive component in the overall equipment cost.

“With 40 to 50 glass scribing facilities opening annually in China alone and a new technology for large format TFT LCD displays utilizing G8 glass size, the business opportunity for the laser cutting equipment for the FPD Industry world wide approaches a level of nearly a quarter billion dollars: - said company CEO Dmitri Nikitin.

The picture represents a stand-alone system for scribing TFT LCD panels. Fantom™ G6 product line based on a c3 Laser™ - Integrated Glass Scribing Laser Module. This Laser module provides a high level of internal part protection and serviceability. It requires no gas and is small enough to mount easily on a machine tool, yet powerful enough for the most challenging FPD applications. “We have accomplished superior results in the Generation 5 & 6 areas, and we are on the verge of incredible breakthroughs for Generation 8”, said Dmitri Nikitin, President of Fonon Technologies. “In addition, new enhancements have been made to our ZWLCT® technology making it more efficient with even higher throughput!” When comparing this new technology with the older method of glass cutting, the cost of ZWLCT® technology continues to decrease, while mechanical systems increase. This change in market ROI makes ZWLCT® technology the better choice; as the glass panel industry continues to grow in proportion to the panel sizes themselves. “The cost of mechanical scribing equipment grows exponentially with each increase in panel size,” said Nikitin, “while the laser cutting equipment cost increases linearly with panel size increase!” He continued, “We are currently in negotiations with several companies interested in a joint development and application of our technology for their Generation 8 glass panels. Other companies interested in doing so may contact us for more information at info@laserphotonics.com”

The Technology

Zero (0) Width Laser Cutting Technology® - ZWLCT® - splits materials on the molecular level with tremendous speed. Additionally there is no material loss, no particles and no chips or other debris associated with conventional scribe and break technology. This is done at tremendous speeds by controlled propagation of a MicroCrack™ through the subsurface layer of material. The scribe line is formed in such a way that molecules do not leave the surface of the glass, unlike conventional scribe and break technologies. The ZWLCT® method incorporates controlled heating followed by a cooling of the glass surface. This creates the intermolecular separation of the glass substrate. ZWLCT® will enhance the FPD separation process in terms of yield, as well as provide a reduction in contamination. Where ZWLCT® excels is when scribing Generation 6 and 8 panels.

Fonon’s patented glass scribing technology surpasses the older mechanical separation technology currently used to cut glass and other brittle materials for the electronic and semiconductor industries. Conventional technology creates vent cracks by stressing the substrate, which in turn creates surface damage and lateral cracks, resulting in particulate generation, and yield loss. It is this loss, plus the purchase cost for mechanical scribing and breaking systems, that has become the significant contributor to the retail cost of modern flat panel displays.

ZWLCT® creates internal tensile forces so great that total separation of display glasses is achieved with speeds previously available only for scribing. This process is called Full Body Separation. Full separation speed of 500 – 600 mm/sec has been achieved in our lab on G4 glass for selective applications. This also reduces the known limitations for Cross Cutting.

About the Company

Fonon Technology International, the world-renowned inventor of Zero Width Laser Cutting Technology ® (ZWLCT®), active for 15 years as a global R&D company, has now entered the FPD equipment market. To accomplish this task, Fonon Technology has acquired a number of equipment and laser manufacturing divisions, enabling the company to supply Glass Laser Scribing equipment to the FPD Industry. Fonon has also recently acquired Laser Photonics L.L.C in Orlando Florida, which will manufacture precision equipment using specialized lasers under the name c3 Laser Corp ™. (www.c3laser.com). The President of Fonon Technologies (Dmitri Nikitin) announced “We are currently filling orders from premiere companies in China and Korea”. Fonon Technologies will manufacture World-Class equipment for Glass Scribing (CO2), Cutting, ITO removal, and Wafer and Chip Marking incorporating the new generations of fiber lasers. A primary focus will include semiconductor wafer dicing by supplying systems utilizing the Zero Width Laser Cutting Technology™ (ZWLCT®) in conjunction with fiber lasers. “Our R&D stage has been validated and Fonon believes that it possesses the best and the most effective technology for display glass and wafer dicing available on the market today” said Nikitin.

“With 40 to 50 glass scribing facilities opening annually in China alone and a new technology for large format TFT LCD displays utilizing G8 glass size, the business opportunity for the laser cutting equipment for the FPD Industry world wide approaches a level of nearly a quarter billion dollars: - said company CEO Dmitri Nikitin.

Major Advantages
of ZWLCT®

Substantially faster then a mechanical system.

Increased throughput with an overall increase in speed and efficiency.

Full separation speed of 500 - 600 mm/sec has been achieved in our lab on G4 glass for selective applications.

Extremely low maintenance and set-up time requirements = high uptime in manufacturing.

It produces a non-dimensional cut line with no residue.

Edges have an optical quality and high resistance to breakage.

The need for cleaning is eliminated.

The process can be done inside the clean room.

Lowest cost of ownership on the market.



	\| 407-804-1000 Ext. 240 \| 3217 Yattika Place Longwood, FL 32779 USA \| Copywright 2006