2009/07/15
Production Capacity of High-Definition Small-Size IPS Liquid Crystal Panels Increased Three-Fold to Five Million Units Per Month
Increased Production Capacity of Low-Temperature Polysilicon Line
Mass Production of Small Sized High-Definition Liquid Crystals on the Amorphous Silicon TFT Line
In response to the demand for high-resolution/high-definition IPS liquid crystals (LC) for digital single-lens reflex cameras, mobile phones and other products, Hitachi Displays, Ltd. (President: Yoshiyuki Imoto, hereafter referred to as Hitachi Displays) will increase the production capacity of VGA* high definitions LC panels. Specifically, in addition to increasing the production capacity of the low-temperature polysilicon (LTPS) line that already produces VGA or better LC panels, VGA models will be produced on the amorphous silicon TFT line from the end of July resulting in an increase in monthly production from 1.6 to 5 million units (on basis of three-inch size) VGA or better high-definition LC panels by the end of 2009.
Thanks to a special ability to provide high resolution over a wide viewing angle, the IPS LC provides unvarying contrast and color tone even when viewing a small screen at an angle, making it highly valued for use not only in large-sized LC for televisions and similar products but also for use in medium and small-product applications. Accordingly, the demand for IPS LC has increased in conjunction with the enlarged demand for digital single-lens reflex cameras, and spread of mobile phones that are compatible with one-segment Internet browsers.
In response to this swelling demand, Hitachi Displays will increase LTPS line production capacity by compacting the production process of the LTPS line, which has been producing high-resolution IPS LC, and improving the amount rendered per single sheet, thereby improving processes that had previously hindered increased production.
Additionally, although mass production of small-size VGA on the amorphous silicon TFT line was previously regarded as problematic due to challenges such as drivers corresponding to increased pixel count and ensuring the required wiring area on an LC panel, Hitachi Displays has recently improved the precision manufacturing process and devised innovations such as multi-layered wiring resulting in the establishment of mass production technology for small-size VGA on the amorphous silicon TFT line.
Due to these efforts, Hitachi Displays will establish a framework allowing for the monthly production of five million units of small-size VGA panels by the end of 2009 and satisfy the elevated demand for IPS high-definition LC.
*High-resolution LC panel with 640 X 480 pixels that is used mainly for high-grade electronic devices such as mobile phones.
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What is IPS Technology? |
The IPS technology is a TFT liquid crystal technology of the In-Plane-Switching method with behaviors that differ from those of typical TFT liquid crystals of the TN or other methods. The technology was released in 1995 and commercialized in 1996 by Hitachi, Ltd., evolving through Super-IPS to Advanced-Super IPS, IPS-Pro and then to IPS-Pro-Prolleza*. The IPS technology, whereby liquid crystal molecules spin around on a plane parallel to a TFT substrate in the In-Plane-Switching mode where the movement of these molecules is very simple, features a wide viewing angle, excellent color reproducibility, and high response speed in halftone processing.
Hitachi Displays has devised IPS LC as the optimum technology for the expectations created by the increasing high resolution of images. It can be applied not only to televisions but has also expanded to use in digital single-lens reflex cameras and mobile phones.
The IPS technology has significantly resolved the viewing angle issues of liquid crystals that had affected the contrast and color tone depending on the viewing angle, and delivers images that are "beautiful, even when viewed from an angle."
*IPS-Pro-Prollezza is an abbreviation of In-Plane Switching-Provectus-Prollezza. Provectus means "revolution" in Latin, while Prollezza is a word combining Progress and Bellezza (which means "beauty" in Italian).
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