Merck has officially opened a new research center for electronic applications at its head office in Darmstadt, Germany. Photo courtesy of Merck

German company channels resources for electronic applications R&D

Merck, a multinational company in science and technology, announced on Sept. 21 that it officially opened a new research center for electronic applications at its head office in Darmstadt, Germany.

Merck channeled 50 million euros into establishing the state-of-the-art research lab, which it says is aimed at advancing innovations for the display and semiconductor industries.

The new facility attracts interests from South Korean companies because the country is home to global leaders in display and semiconductor businesses.

Samsung Electronics is the world’s top maker of memory chips, while SK hynix is the runner-up player. As far as display is concerned, Samsung and LG are international powerhouses.

In fact, there is a track record where Merck’s advanced research benefited Korean firms _ the former’s research on liquid crystal display (LCD) helped Samsung and LG rule the lucrative flat-panel display markets.

In the late 1980s, Merck even constructed an application laboratory for liquid crystals in Seoul.

“This time around, expectations are high here what Merck would come up with at its new research center,” said an industry source who asked not to be named.

Kai Beckmann, CEO Performance Materials and Merck Executive Board member responsible for the Darmstadt site, said that the new research lab will live up to the company’s reputation as an innovation incubator.

“As our prime science and technology hub, our headquarters in Darmstadt offers tremendous expertise and capability for research & development (R&D) work for Merck,” Beckmann said.

“This new research center for electronic applications is living proof of our commitment to become an even stronger partner for our customers through top-notch R&D.”

Merck said that the building will be dedicated to R&D activities for next-generation materials, such as display materials and semiconductor materials.

Included in the former are innovative liquid crystals and quantum dot pixel color converters, while examples of the latter are photoresist materials, dielectrics, and directional self-alignment materials, according to Merck.
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