Sony to Realign its LCD TV Manufacturing Operations for Europe

As part of its on-going initiative to enhance its manufacturing efficiency to improve the profitability of its liquid crystal display ("LCD") TV business, Sony Corporation ("Sony") today announced that its relevant European subsidiaries have agreed with Ficosa International, S.A. ("Ficosa") and COMSA EMTE SL ("COMSA EMTE"), both headquartered in Spain, to sell the Barcelona technology center (formal name: Sony Espana S.A., Barcelona Technology Center [Barcelona, Spain]), which manufactures LCD TVs for the Europe region, to Ficosa and COMSA EMTE.

With this transaction, the Barcelona technology center will be divided into two new companies, one focusing on manufacturing and the other focusing on development and engineering. The manufacturing company will be wholly-owned and operated by Ficosa, while the development and engineering company will be a 50:50 joint venture between Ficosa and COMSA EMTE. Between them, the new companies intend to assume employment of the majority of employees at the Barcelona technology center.

Sony will source LCD TV production to the new manufacturing company for two years after completion of the transfer. Both the new manufacturing and engineering companies will concurrently develop new businesses.

The transfer is planned to be completed by the end of December 2010, subject to certain regulatory and other approvals.

Although a loss is expected to be incurred by Sony in connection with the transaction for the rest of the current fiscal year, no material impact is anticipated on Sony's consolidated financial results forecast for the current fiscal year that was released at the time of the first quarter earnings announcement, as such loss has been included in the forecast as a part of the 75 billion yen of estimated restructuring charges.

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Sony Participates in 2010 United Nations Private Sector Forum on the Millennium Development Goals

Sony Corporation (Sony) affirms its continued commitment to helping achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) through use of its advanced technology, human and intellectual capital, and global reach, and through innovative and collaborative public/private partnerships.

In support of this effort, on September 22, Dr. Ryoji Chubachi, Vice Chairman, Sony Corporation, will participate in the 2010 United Nations (UN) Private Sector Forum on the Millennium Development Goals chaired by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and including approximately 300 Heads of State and Government, chief executives, civil society leaders and Heads of UN Agencies.

Under the theme "For the Next Generation", Sony works actively to contribute to the realization of a sustainable society. Most recently, a key aspect of Sony's participation in the 2010 FIFA World Cup™, where it was an Official FIFA Partner, was the launch of a social contribution program called "Dream Goal 2010." This program was designed to combine Sony's unique technological and human resources with the power of football to bring people together, help address multiple social challenges, and inspire hopes and dreams in children.

Specifically, Sony partnered with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and a number of nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) to implement a variety of projects aimed at building a better future for Africa and its children. These projects included the staging of public viewing events in Cameroon and Ghana that enabled approximately 24,000 people who do not have access to television to experience World Cup matches, live, on large screens, in connection with HIV/AIDS education, counseling and testing. More than 4,800 people were tested for HIV over the course of the program, more than 2.5 times the goal set at the start of the initiative.

In Ghana, Sony also piloted a new, portable open energy system* capable of capturing, storing and distributing electricity from renewable energy sources, which powered public viewing screens. This system, if successful, has the potential to contribute to major improvements in people's lives in terms of health, education, economic well-being and overall way of life, particularly in developing nations.

Other projects in Sony's FIFA World Cup™ program included the Siyakhona ( "We can do it") project, through which the Company donated its products to NGOs around the world to help children capture their surrounding environment and everyday life through photography and communicate it to the world at large, and the Ticket Fund, which enabled Sony, in partnership with a local NGO, to bring 15,000 South African children who had participated in HIV/AIDS awareness programs to FIFA World Cup™ matches.

Building on these and other initiatives, Sony will continue to apply its products, services, technologies and expertise creatively to innovate new ways of contributing to the achievement of MDGs. Sony hopes that, through international and local partnerships, it can and will help change the lives of communities around the world.

To learn more about Sony Group's MDGs and Dream Goal 2010 related activities, refer to:
http://www.sony.net/dreamgoal
http://www.sony.net/SonyInfo/csr/ForTheNextGeneration/contentslist/saml/index.html

* The open energy system prototype named "GEO System" has been jointly developed by Sony Computer Science Laboratories and Sony Energy Devices Corporation.

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TransferJet Consortium to showcase its technology at "CEATEC JAPAN 2010"

The following information is true and accurate at the time of publication.

The TransferJet Consortium will present a special booth at "CEATEC JAPAN 2010" (October 5-9, 2010) held at Makuhari Messe in Chiba City, on the outskirts of Tokyo.
At this booth, the TransferJet Consortium members will be demonstrating products, prototypes, components, semiconductors, software, test equipment and certification programs associated with the TransferJet ecosystem. Visitors will be able to see the possibilities offered by this unique "touch transfer" wireless technology, such as how consumers can transfer and share content among devices inside and outside the home.

The consortium will present its activities including international standardization efforts and future developments.It will demonstrate TransferJet wireless technology through its member's products which employ the technology. This includes transferring photos between cameras, sending photos to printers, storing content on network servers, and displaying pictures on TVs and picture frames. It will also reveal future service concepts, such as content downloading from kiosks as well as new application proposals incorporating mobile phones, PCs and STBs (Set Top Boxes).Participating companies: I-O DATA DEVICE, INC., KDDI Corporation, NTT DOCOMO, INC.,Seiko Epson Corporation, Sony Corporation, Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications and Toshiba CorporationSystem and Component TechnologyNewly-developed 2nd-generation LSI and modules for TransferJet technologyMemory cards incorporating TransferJet functionalityA wide selection of miniature, high-performance couplersHardware/software development tools and solutionsParticipating companies: ADVANEX INC., E-Globaledge Corporation, Hitachi Ltd.(Hitachi Cable, Ltd.) , Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd., NISSEI ELECTRIC CO., LTD., SMK Corporation, Sony Corporation, TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD., Tateno Dennou, Inc., TOKO, INC., TOTOKU Electric Co., Ltd. and Toshiba CorporationCertification related TechnologyTest Equipment used for the compliance testing and certification programIntroduction of the certification test labs and their activitiesParticipating companies: Agilent Technologies Japan, Ltd., Allion Test Labs, Inc., XXCAL Japan Inc.
The TransferJet Consortium was established in 2008 by a group of international companies with the common goal of developing the technology, products and services based on TransferJet wireless technology. The consortium focuses on the development of specifications, compliance testing processes and tools, as well as conduct marketing activities to promote the TransferJet concept, technology, products, applications and services. Additional information about the consortium, its participating companies and membership information is available at: http://www.transferjet.org/en/. * denotes companies demonstrating in the booth (20 companies)

Canon Inc.
CASIO COMPUTER CO.,LTD.
Eastman Kodak Company
Hitachi Ltd. *
JVC KENWOOD Holdings, Inc.
KDDI Corporation *
NIKON CORPORATION
NTT DOCOMO, INC. *
Olympus Imaging Corporation
Panasonic Corporation
Pioneer Corporation
SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
Seiko Epson Corporation *
SHARP CORPORATION
SOFTBANK MOBILE Corp.
Sony Corporation *
Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications *
Toshiba Corporation *

ADVANEX INC. *
Agilent Technologies Japan, Ltd. *
Allion Test Labs, Inc. *
Askey Computer Corp.
Cambridge Silicon Radio Limited
CyberLink Corporation
d-broad, Inc.
E-Globaledge Corporation *
FUJIFILM Corporation
Fujitsu Limited
Funai Electric Co., Ltd.
Hosiden Corporation
HOYA CORPORATION
I-O DATA DEVICE, INC. *
Japan Circuit Co., Ltd.
KYOSHIN TECHNOSONIC Co., Ltd.
MediaTek Inc.
Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. *
NEC Corporation
NHK Media Technology, Inc
NISSEI ELECTRIC CO., LTD. *
NKB.INC
RICOH Co., Ltd.
Seers Technology Co., Ltd
SK Telesys Co., Ltd.
SMK Corporation *
TAIYO YUDEN CO., LTD. *
Tateno Dennou, Inc. *
Theoria Communications Inc.
TOKO, INC. *
TOTOKU Electric Co., Ltd. *
Tyco Electronics Japan G.K.
Ubiquitous Corporation
XXCAL Japan Inc. *

* TransferJet regular typeface and TransferJet logos are trademarks of Sony Corporation.

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"Sony Disc & Digital Solutions Inc." to be Renamed "Sony DADC Corporation"

Since launching the world's first music Compact Disc in 1982, Sony has continued to leverage its advanced disc technologies to deliver new and revolutionary digital solutions for the music, movie, and game industries, including formats such as Blu-ray Disc (BD), CD, DVD and UMD across a wide range of platforms. These businesses are operated in the Americas by Sony DADC Americas, Sony DADC International in Europe and Asia Pacific, and in Japan by Sony DADC Japan. As an integral element of the Sony DADC group of companies, the primary focus of Sony DADC Corporation is to perform critical business planning functions for Sony's global pre-recorded optical disc business and to pursue development of mass-production technologies and equipment as well as value-added technologies for the optical disc business.

Going forward, Sony DADC Corporation will continue to drive Sony's optical disc business forward by striving for further technological innovation while offering the same levels of quality and service across all areas of it business and operations.

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Sony increases production capacity for image sensors including back-illuminated and large sized CMOS image sensors

The following information is true and accurate at the time of publication.
September 1, 2010, Tokyo, Japan - Sony Corporation (hereafter, "Sony") today announced that Sony would invest approximately 40 billion yen into Sony Semiconductor Kyushu Corporation's Kumamoto Technology Center (hereafter, "Kumamoto TEC"), to increase production capacity for "Exmor" and "Exmor R" CMOS image sensors. This investment comprises of an amount previously determined to be invested in the second half of fiscal year 2010, which was included in the forecast for the capital expenditures announced at the earnings announcement for the first quarter ended June 30, 2010, in addition to an amount to be invested in fiscal year 2011.

With this investment, Sony will strengthen its production capacity for image sensors to meet the expected increase in market demand, and continue to solidify its global leadership position in image sensors.

Sony Semiconductor Kyushu Corporation's Kumamoto Technology Center
The recent boom in smartphones is creating demand for devices with high image quality and high sensitivity capabilities. Also, the evolution of lighter and more compact Digital Still Cameras as well as improved camera functionality have resulted in an expanding customer segment who own high quality Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras.
These market conditions have led to greater demand for larger image sensors and image sensors with higher image capabilities.

In order to meet these market demands, Sony currently provides two CMOS image sensor models: "Exmor" , which adopts the "Column-Parallel A/D Conversion Technique", providing each column within the sensor with its own A/D converter to reduce noise; and "Exmor R", which applies a back-illuminated structure to enhance image characteristics through high sensitivity and reduced noise.

Since 2009, Sony has been mass producing "Exmor R" for Digital Still Cameras and Digital Video Camcorders on wafer lines (with diameter of 200mm) at Sony Semiconductor Kyushu Corporation's Nagasaki Technology Center. Furthermore, at the end of this year Sony plans to start the mass production of "Exmor R" on wafer lines (with diameter of 300mm) at Kumamoto TEC for mobile phone and compact Digital Still Camera markets.

With the investment announced today, Kumamoto TEC's CMOS image sensor production capacity will be further increased, and Sony will strengthen its ability to meet the expected market demand for "Exmor R" used in smartphones as well as a wide range of digital imaging products for consumer and professional use, including compact Digital Still Cameras. In addition, Sony will increase production capacity for mainly large sized "Exmor" used in Digital Single Lens Reflex cameras.

Increase production capacity to meet the increasing demand of CMOS image sensorsKumamoto Technology Center, Sony Semiconductor
Kyushu Corporation (Kikuchi-gun, Kumamoto Prefecture)Wafer processing equipment for CMOS image sensor production, etc.From the second half of fiscal year 2010 through fiscal year 2011Production Capacity (Wafer Process/300mm wafers):25,000 wafers per month
(Before investment this time: 18,500 wafers per month)
-Of them, the capacity for image sensors will be 22,500 wafers per month
(Before investment this time: 16,000 wafers per month)
(Total production capacity of Kumamoto TEC Fab 1 and 2)
Outline of Sony Semiconductor Kyushu Corporation2-3-2 Momochihama, Sawara-ku Fukuoka-shi Japan(3) Representative Director (President):24.25 billion yen, fully owned by Sony CorporationKagoshima, Oita, Nagasaki and KumamotoApproximately 9,000 (including contract and temporary employees) as of March 31, 2010Development, design and production of semiconductors, etc.

4000-1 Haramizu, Kikuyomachi Kikuchigun, Kumamoto, JapanImage sensors (CCD and CMOS), micro display devices (H-LCD and "SXRD", etc.)

"Exmor" is a trademark of Sony Corporation.
"Exmor R" is a trademark of Sony Corporation.
"SXRD" is a trademark of Sony Corporation.

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Sony announces "Video On Demand powered by Qriocity™" extending into Europe<br> Also announces plans for "Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity™" cloud-based music service

Berlin, Germany - In November 2009, Sony Corporation (Sony) said that it was developing a network service platform called Sony Online Services (SOLS), which is now called Qriocity™. Qriocity is a network service platform that connects many of Sony's network-enabled devices and allows consumers to enjoy high quality entertainment across multiple devices. Via Qriocity, Sony will deliver a variety of digital entertainment content and services that are "powered by Qriocity", including video, music, game applications, and e-books over time, and through these services, and in combination with its networked devices, Sony aims to bring new and exciting entertainment experiences to customers.

Today at the IFA 2010 show in Berlin, Sony announced that "Video On Demand powered by Qriocity™", a premium streaming video service, will be available this fall in five European countries including France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the U.K. With "Video On Demand powered by Qriocity," customers can choose from hundreds of box office hits from 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment, Lionsgate, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (MGM), NBC Universal International Television Distribution, Paramount Pictures, Sony Pictures Home Entertainment, The Walt Disney Company, and Warner Bros. Digital Distribution, as well as popular content from top local studios. Many movies are available in High Definition (HD) as well as Standard Definition (SD), and all can be rented at the touch of a button on Sony's 2010 models of network-enabled BRAVIA® TVs and Blu-ray Disc™ players, and Blu-ray Home Theater systems. "Video On Demand powered by Qriocity" has been available in the U.S. since April 2010.

Sony also announced plans to introduce "Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity™", a new, cloud-based, digital music service. Available by year's end, "Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity" will give music lovers access to millions of songs stored and synchronized through the cloud. "Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity" will initially be available across Sony's 2010 models of network-enabled BRAVIA TVs, Blu-ray Disc players, Blu-ray Home Theater systems , as well as PlayStation®3 computer entertainment systems and VAIOs and other personal computers, and will become increasingly available on a range of Sony's portable devices.

"Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity" brings together the features cited as most important by music enthusiasts. With access to a huge library of songs through the cloud, users can discover new music through channels personalized to their tastes on multiple devices and without the requirement to manage digital music files. The convenience resulting from this new consumer music experience will further enhance the value of music, thus creating new opportunities for the industry. Details of the service plan will be announced in the future.

"We are excited to offer our customers high quality, cloud-based entertainment experiences across many of Sony's network-enabled devices," said Kazuo Hirai, President of Networked Products & Services Group, Sony Corporation. "Services 'powered by Qriocity' will revolutionize the way that users play, listen, watch, share, communicate, learn, discover and create their digital entertainment content."

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Commercialization and the Start of Mass Production of the SP100 Series, Solar Cell Conductive Film Capable of Making Strings at Low Temperature for Photovoltaic Modules

[New Product]  September 2, 2010Sony Chemical & Information Device Corporation commercialized and commenced full-scale mass production of the SP100 Series, Solar Cell Conductive Film for photovoltaic modules in April 2010. The SP100 Series is a film-type conductive bonding material that bonds the solar cell with the metal ribbon that acts as a transmission line for electricity generated by the cell and, compared with conventional soldering (200°C or more), is capable of low-temperature bonding at 180°C, enabling significant reductions in residual stress after bonding on cells, thereby contributing to improved yield during module production. In addition, the SP100 Series is also capable of bonding thin cells (approximately 150 µm) that are weaker against thermal stress during soldering than standard thick cells. Free of materials that may impact on the environment such as flux and lead, the SP100 Series has been designed with the aim of alleviating the environmental impact after disposal.

Solar cell strings, which compose photovoltaic modules, are generally bonded by soldering which requires heating to a temperature of 200°C or higher. Differences in the thermal and mechanical characteristics of the silicon used in cells and metal ribbon (generally solder-coated copper wire) cause residual stress around the bonding area, leading to problems such as cell breakage after bonding.

Sony Chemical & Information Device’s SP100 Series is a bonding material that uses Anisotropic Conductive Film (ACF) technology utilized for applications such as the mounting of a driver IC on an LCD panel. The SP100 series makes stable contact between the solar cell and metal ribbon by heating and pressurizing conductive particles distributed evenly into the epoxy-type resin, resulting in heat-curing of the resin simultaneously, so the material provides reliable conduction equivalent to that provided by soldering. In addition, because the material is a film type, there is no dispersal of material to the light receiving area, resulting in a module with beautifully finished bonded areas. Moreover, the material is suitable for narrow areas, capable of usage at widths as small as approximately 1mm, making it possible to ensure a wide light-receiving area by reducing the busbar width.

The SP100 Series is not only features a bonding mechanism that renders the melting of solder unnecessary, but also is a bonding material with minimal impact on the environment thanks to the absence of constituents such as flux and Pb. This bonding material is compatible with Pb-free solder-type ribbons and contributes to the production of modules that are even more environmentally-friendly.

The SP100 Series has been evaluated by the Consortium for Development and Assessment of Highly-reliable Photovoltaic Modules of the Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) and modules using the SP100 Series have passed high-temperature / high-humidity testing (85°C / 85%RH, 1000 hours) and temperature cycle testing (-40°C – 85°C, 200 cycles) regulated by IEC61215, an international module accreditation standard, and it has been verified that the product provides the long-term conduction reliability required by photovoltaic modules.

Test Vehicle

Damp heat test: 85°C / 85%RHThermal cycle test: -40°C to 85°C

Conductive film
Lamination conditionsTemperature(°C)*1Main bonding conditionsTemperature(°C)*1*1 Temperature of conductive film lamination and main bonding: It is not equipment temperature, but temperature of conductive film.*2 Pressure of conductive film lamination: It is discribed as the area of conductive film lamination.*3 Time of conductive film lamination and main bonding: Time from the start of bonding to the point where the temperature reaches the target.*4 Pressure of main bonding: The pressure of main bonding is discribed as the bonding area.?Connecting conditions may differ depending on cell size and cell thickness.The SP200 Series, a product capable of bonding at even lower temperatures (160°C) and the metal-ribbon-integrated DT100 Series are scheduled to be exhibited at the 25th European Photovoltaic Solar Energy Conference and Exhibition (25th EU PVSEC) to be held at the Feria Valencia in Spain from September 6 (Monday) to 10 (Friday) this year. Sony Chemical & Information Device CorporationRepresentative: Takashi Ichinose, Representative Director and PresidentHeadquarters: Gate City Osaki, East Tower 8th Floor, 1-11-2 Osaki, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, JapanPrincipal operations: Manufacturing and sales of electronics parts, adhesive materials and optical materials,
manufacturing of magnetic disks, magnetic devices, print media and LAMINATE Click here for inquiries related to this matter

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