February 16, 2011
Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd.

Nippon Electric Glass Develops Lead-Free Glass Tubes for Diode Encapsulation
which Enables Low-Temperature Sealing at 630ºC

Nippon Electric Glass Co., Ltd. (head office: Otsu, Shiga, Japan; President: Masayuki Arioka) has
developed lead-free glass tubes (NL-18) designed for encapsulating diode and other chips. Samples
will be shipped sequentially for use with diodes and various other applications.

Background of Product Development

Glass tubes made by lead glass have been widely used for diode encapsulation purposes. Lead glass
offers excellent acid resistance and electrical characteristics, and enables low-temperature sealing
necessary to avoid semiconductor device degradation caused by heat during encapsulation. However,
each year stricter environmental regulations are enforced such as the RoHS Directive applicable to
electric and electronic products and the End-of-Life Vehicles (ELV) Directive. Lead glass used in
electric and electronic products is presently exempted from these regulations. Nevertheless, leading
electrical and electronics manufacturers have been increasingly demanding the supply of
environmentally friendly (green) materials pursuant to their respective environmental regulations.

Nippon Electric Glass has been active in shifting to green materials to respond to the
above-mentioned market needs and to be in line with rising environmental awareness in society. Our
solution is the successful development, ahead of our competitors, of diode encapsulation glass tubes
completely free of environmentally hazardous substances such as lead, halogen-based substances,
and antimony. The newly developed product enables low-temperature sealing at a level comparable
with conventional lead glass and has excellent acid resistance and electrical characteristics.

NL-18 Product Outline

1. Standard Dimensions
Outside diameter: 1.78 mm; Inside diameter: 0.86 mm; Overall length: 3.81 mm (Several other
types available)

2. Features
[1] Green material (No environmentally hazardous substances)
Glass composition contains no lead, halogen-based substances, or antimony.
[2] Low-temperature sealing
Enables encapsulation at a temperature (630ºC) comparable with conventional lead glass.
[3] Workability
Suitable on production lines similar to those using conventional lead glass, the newly
developed product does not impair workability or performance.