Harnessing proprietary core technologies designed to provide energy and communicate information, the Hitachi Cable Group focuses R&D efforts on meeting client needs in the most effective way possible. Consisting of the Corporate Advanced Technology Group (Research & Development Laboratory) and the development sections of business groups, the Group's R&D structure is making rapid strides in developing pioneering technologies and products while also working in concert to ascertain market and technological trends in Japan and around the world and to refine and advance R&D staff capabilities.
By promoting joint research with clients and government R&D agencies when needed and maintaining close collaborative ties with R&D centers throughout the Hitachi Group, including those of Hitachi, Ltd., the Hitachi Cable Group effectively advances R&D efforts in advanced technology areas.
Outlined below are the R&D activities of the Hitachi Cable Group during this consolidated fiscal year by business segment and the results of these activities. R&D expenses this year totaled 11,078 million yen.
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Wires and Cables |
In this segment, R&D efforts focus on industrial wires and cables and transmission and connection technologies related to electronic devices. Primary results achieved in this consolidated fiscal year are outlined below. R&D expenses in this segment totaled 1,500 million yen.
Efforts being made in the field of industry/energy include the establishment of a mass-production system for twisted wires for toroidal magnetic field (TF) coils for the ITER (International Thermonuclear Experimental Reactor) project. Under way through cooperation among seven participating parties from around the world, the project will be using superconductor cable composed of approximately 1,400 strands of superconductor wire and oxygen-free copper, twisted together as many as five times, to serve as TF coils for containment of high-temperature plasma (100 million degrees Celsius or more) within a powerful magnetic field.
The components of the reactor are being procured globally with the Japan Atomic Energy Agency in charge of procuring the superconductor cable, among other components assigned to Japan, as the country's representative organ. Full scale-production of the cable starts in fiscal 2010 upon introduction of production equipment and development of technologies associated with the production of long-pitch twisted wire known for its excellence in stability at extremely low temperatures in respect of superconductive characteristics.
In the area of electronics equipment, we developed super-fine conductors for medical applications. A probe cable for medical applications must be small in diameter, light in weight, and be resistant to bending in addition to being highly capable of transmitting information. Particularly in recent years, cables that combine two seemingly opposing qualities (i.e., being increasingly small in diameter yet showing better electrical characteristics at the same time) have come to be sought for use in ultrasonic vascular endoscopes.
In response, we have initiated further efforts in the development of technologies that relate to the design and machining/thermal processing of alloys, leading us to come up with super-fine copper alloy wire that simultaneously demonstrates superior characteristics in strength (900 MPa and higher) and conductivity (85% IACS and higher) while being merely 10 mm in diameter. Application of the conductor, moreover, collaterally resulted in the development of a super-fine 50 AWG coaxial cable (7 strands per 10 µm dia.)
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Information and Telecommunications Networking |
R&D efforts in this segment focus on information and telecommunications cables, including fiber-optic cables, sensors, various devices needed to develop Internet and mobile phone systems, components, and devices such as networking equipment and mobile phone base station antennas. R&D expenses in this segment totaled 5,286 million yen.
The principal achievements made in the course of the current fiscal year on a consolidated basis include the following: First is the development of line cards supporting Ethernet*1 OAM (international standards for operation, administration, and maintenance) for multi-slot media converters. Through commercialization of 1G and 10G line cards provided with Ethernet OAM (international standards for Operation, Administration, and Maintenance) functions for use in multi-slot media converters, we have equipped ourselves with the ability to expand further into both domestic and international markets in which wide-area Ethernet service providers and Internet service providers operate. Second is the development of the Apresia*2 16000 Series. Being fully ready for the commercialization of layer 2 switching hubs capable of supporting virtual dedicated line systems and designed to international standards (while being small-size, power-saving, and highly functional, made possible by making use of our engineering prowess in the area of layer 2 switching fostered over the years for wide-area Ethernet applications), we are now prepared for further expansion into markets both outside and inside Japan aiming at wide-area Ethernet service providers and mobile phone networks. Third is the commercialization of box-type Ethernet switches supporting layer 2 and layer 3 standards (Apresia 3400 Series). Tapping LSI technologies for layer 3 (latest in supporting 100 Mbps transmission), we have commercialized low-price, power-saving, and high-function layer 2/layer 3 100 Mbps multi-port (24/48 ports) switching hubs, thus obtaining a means of increasing our sales in the market of Ethernet switches for enterprise.
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Ethernet is a registered trademark of Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd. in Japan. |
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Apresia is a registered trademark of Hitachi Cable, Ltd. |
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Sophisticated Materials |
R&D activities in this segment can be broken down into the three main areas discussed below. R&D expenses in this segment totaled 4,292 million yen.
A. Semiconductor Packaging Materials and Electronic Components
R&D efforts in this area focus on TAB tape and circuit boards, seeking to reduce dimensions and heighten the functionality of information-technology devices such as mobile phones and to increase the precision of liquid-crystal displays (LCDs), compound semiconductors such as those made of gallium arsenide (single crystal wafers, epitaxial wafers and semiconductor devices), and products that apply these technologies as well as related products. Among the principal achievements made in the course of the current fiscal year on a consolidated basis is the mass production of chip on film (COF) tapes with wiring lead pitch of 25 µm.
Driver ICs are mounted to the display panels of liquid crystal TVs and laptop computers to enable reproduction of high definition images, and the market now calls for further refinement of the wiring of COF tapes used to serve as the panel connection boards while requiring the driver ICs mounted to the panels to be accordingly higher in density. So that we may meet the needs for the formation of increasingly microscopic wiring configurations, we have developed mass-production technologies for COF tapes characterized by 25 µm microscopic wiring and a good cross-sectional shape brought about through use of a new type of etching solution.
B. Copper Products
R&D efforts in this area focus on the development of copper strips for electric components, heat-transfer tubes used in heat exchangers, and new processed copper products, as well as superconducting wiring and superconductors. Among the principal achievements made in the course of the current fiscal year on a consolidated basis are the development of dual-gauge copper strips for more effective heat radiation in small semiconductor packages and the development of copper tubes for air conditioning equipment. The former involves the realization of longer package lives and further reduction in size through improved heat radiation for small-size LEDs, which was enabled due to use of high-accuracy dual-gauge strips of small cross section in the lead frame of small semiconductor packages. The latter refers to the continued development of heat-transfer tubing specifically suited to heat exchangers used in air conditioners and EcoCute systems initiated with the aim of further contributing to the conservation of energy and reduction in equipment size.
C. Auto Parts
R&D efforts in this area focus on automotive hoses such as brake and power-steering hoses and electronic components and components used in information equipment.
Among the principal achievements made in the course of the current fiscal year on a consolidated basis is the development of halogen-free, 150°C-heat-resistant harnesses for use in hybrid electric vehicles.
The power supply harness cable used in a hybrid electric car must be highly resistant to heat, capable of withstanding the high electric current flowing through it under the high-temperature conditions of the area around the engine, while being flexible to permit smooth routing within a limited space. By way of fulfilling the needs of the market, we have developed a cable, while using a halogen-free material for its jacket, that possesses the required heat resistance and flexibility and conforms to the international standards for cables used in vehicular applications (ISO 6722 Class D).
Meanwhile, for the connectors used to connect the cable, we have developed a 2-piece construction terminal made of a copper alloy coupled with a SUS spring protected by an aluminum alloy housing that also serves as a shield.
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