Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd., the world's largest provider of TFT-LCD display panels, today announced the world's first a-Si (Amorphous Silicon) 2.6-inch TFT-LCD with VGA (300ppi) image quality. Using a-Si
technology, mobile phone displays are now capable of projecting the same VGA format found on notebook PCs and desktop monitors. With almost
seven times the resolution of a 42-inch high-definition LCD TV at 300 pixels per inch (ppi), an a-Si enabled mobile phone can be used as a high quality mobile TV.
"Samsung has built its proprietary amorphous silicon gates into the LCD panel, maximizing the efficiency of LCD design, controllers and module processing," said Vice President Kim Hyung Guel of the Mobile Display Business Team. "This superior technology will be initially targeted for PDA phones and other top-end mobile phones that require high image quality."
Amorphous silicon (a-Si) and polycrystalline silicon (polysilicon or p-Si) are the two main silicon technologies used in the thin film transistors for LCDs. Low-temperature polysilicon can achieve a high degree of integration, making it the method of choice when producing panels that require high resolution.
Conventional wisdom has held that structural properties would limit a-Si technology to 150ppi resolution. However, Samsung Electronics engineers completed a 1.94-inch display with qVGA (207ppi) resolution in May of this year, and continued to improve upon its own a-Si technology to achieve VGA resolution for small- and mid-sized display panels.
Samsung's latest LCD is a transflective model (200:1 contrast ratio and 150cd/m(2) brightness), which provides sharp images even when exposed to bright summer sunshine. Mass production on existing lines is scheduled to begin in December of this year, giving the company a competitive edge in terms of production cost and supply capability. Samsung will eventually expand the a-Si technology to "smart phones" and mobile phones equipped for digital multimedia broadcasting.
Source:
Samsung
Related stories:
A Laptop Circle of Trust
Laptop computers are quickly becoming standard-issue equipment for enterprise workforces across the globe, but the productivity gained from this added mobility comes at a price: increased exposure to theft, loss and damage.
Pamela Goes to Space to Explore Dark Matter and Antimatter
Searching for antimatter and dark matter in Space: this is Pamela’s mission. Pamela will be launched into orbit on June 15th from the cosmodrome of Baikonur, in Kazakhstan. The launch will take place at 11.00 am local time.
NASA Swift Mission Turns On and Sees a Blast of Bursts
The NASA-led
Swift mission opened its doors to a flurry of gamma ray burst action.
Scientists were still calibrating the main instrument, the Burst Alert Telescope (BAT), when the first burst appeared on December 17. Three bursts on December 19, and one on December 20, followed.
Swift's primary goal is to unravel the mystery of
gamma ray bursts. The bursts are random and fleeting explosions, second only to the
Big Bang in total energy output. Gamma rays are a type of light millions of times more energetic than light human eyes can detect. Gamma ray bursts last only from a few milliseconds to about one minute. Each burst likely signals the birth of a black hole.
The Quiet Explosion: Object intermediate between normal supernovae and gamma-ray bursts found
A European-led team of astronomers are providing hints that a recent supernova may not be as normal as initially thought. Instead, the star that exploded is now understood to have collapsed into a black hole, producing a weak jet, typical of much more violent events, the so-called gamma-ray bursts. The object, SN 2008D, is thus probably among the weakest explosions that produce very fast moving jets. This discovery represents a crucial milestone in the understanding of the most violent phenomena observed in the Universe.
Extended cyclone relief efforts aided from space
Earth observation satellites have provided vital information to relief workers in Myanmar throughout a particularly long crisis response window following the devastating Cyclone Nargis that hit the country on 2 and 3 May 2008.
Successful qualification firing test for Zefiro 23
On 27 March 2008, the second stage motor for Vega - Europe's new small launcher - successfully completed a static firing test at the Salto Di Quirra Inter-force Test Range in Sardinia, Italy.
Vega main engine test in Kourou
A prototype of the P80 rocket motor, which will power the first stage of ESA's new small launcher - Vega, was successfully tested on 4 December at the Guiana Space Centre, Europe's Spaceport in Kourou, French Guiana. Ignition occurred at 12:35 local time (15:35 UTC/GMT).
A new moon for Saturn – a family affair
Scientists from the NASA/ESA/ASI Cassini mission have announced the discovery of a new moon orbiting Saturn, bringing the total number of known moons in the Saturnian system to 60.