SOUTH SAN FRANCISCO, Calif., May 24 -- Optiva Inc. and Nakan Co. Ltd. have entered into a strategic partnership to jointly develop and market integrated coating systems for applying Optiva's Thin Crystal Film (TCF) materials directly onto glass substrates of liquid crystal displays (LCDs). Optiva's TCF materials will give displays better viewing characteristics, make them less expensive and up to 30 percent thinner than today's offerings. Japan-based Nakan currently holds an estimated 80 percent of the world LCD market for equipment that coats thin functional layers needed for display manufacturing, a process that is well suited for applying Optiva's TCF material. The two companies plan to work closely with select customers in the second and third quarter this year with production equipment expected to be generally available in the first half of 2002.