Sumitomo Chemical and Samsung LED have entered into an agreement to establish a joint venture in Korea for the R&D, manufacture, and sale of sapphire substrates for LEDs, Sumitomo announced on March 28. This joint venture will initially start with an LED sapphire substrate business, aiming to become a comprehensive provider of LED-related materials in the future.
Sumitomo revealed that its wholly-owned subsidiary Dongwoo Fine-Chem, which is headquartered in Seoul, commenced development of sapphire substrates in 2010. Dongwoo is devoting efforts to upgrading its production facilities to start commercial production as early as possible, Sumitomo indicated.
Meanwhile, Samsung LED's core LED business shows promise for future growth, and the company has plans to invest in strategic expansion, Sumitomo said.
Through collaboration with Samsung LED, Sumitomo expects to expand its business in the area of LEDs.
Sumitomo provides materials such as high-purity alumina used as a raw material in sapphire substrates and liquid crystal polymer used in materials for LED packages.
