Supply of ITO materials and NF3 gas is reportedly in shortage due to the Japan earthquake, and shipments for equipment from Nikon and Canon reportedly have been delayed also due to the earthquake, and will further effect the production schedule of Infovision Optelectronics Kunshan's 8.5G plant and capacity expansion of 4G and smaller lines for LTPS and AMOLED.

Recent market rumors indicated that supply of ITO material for TFT-LCD and touch sensors is limited as the main suppliers for the material are Japan-based JX Nikko and Mitsui Mining & Smelting, who together account for up to 70% of the global market. Mitsui's business is not affected by the earthquake, while JX's production remains down.

The supply of NF3 gas has always been tight due to wide usage in TFT-LCD, semiconductor and a-Si thin film industries, and the supply has further tightened after the earthquake. Main suppliers of NF3 gas are Mitsui Chemicals, Kanto Denka Kogyo (KDK), OCI Materials, Air Products & Chemicals and Central Glass, of which KDK's NF3 gas production plant is still affected by the rolling black-out.

Equipment shipments from Nikon and Canon are also affected by the earthquake, and may further affected the schedule of equipment installation and mass production schedule at China-based Infovision Optelectronics Kunshan's plant.

With smartphones becoming more popular, demand for LTPS and AMOLED panels is also increasing significantly, and driving many panel makers such as AU Optronics (AUO), Chimei Innolux (CMI) and China-based Tianma to expand LTPS and AMOLED capacity. Market sources noted that some capacity expansion plan for 4.5G and smaller LTPS and AMOLED lines will also be affected by the delay of equipment shipments.