Sharp’s High-res IGZO Display for iPad 3 after all?
Apple may well use display technology from Sharp for the upcoming third-generation iPad despite a number of earlier reports to the contrary, Cnet reports.
Sharp’s display tech, called IGZO (indium gallium zinc oxide), was considered by analysts a while ago as a possible solution for the high-end display suitable for the top tablet on the market.
Many reports subsequently claimed that Apple’s hierarchy had dismissed Sharp as a supplier; however, Charles Annis, analyst at DisplaySearch, from Kyoto, Japan, suggests now that Sharp might still have a good chance to partner with Apple for the iPad 3.
He reveals that Sharp is already mass producing the IGZO displays and furthermore, there is no commercial IGZO flat panel display available on the market right now. To make the situation even more mysterious, Annis suggests that there is no real reason to be sure that Apple will eventually accept LG Display’s products either for the upcoming iPad 3.
Apple might be eyeing the Sharp’s IGZO technology as its increased brightness, compared to conventional displays, could allow a reduction in the number of backlight LEDs, and hence cost, as well as providing longer battery life - both key factors for super-high-resolution displays on mobile devices.
Annis also mentions that he expects the iPad 3 to start going on sale in April.
By: Radu Tyrsina
Source: http://www.itproportal.com/2012/02/09/sharp-high-res-igzo-display-ipad3-after-all/
LG leads global media tablet display market
iPad, Kindle Fire and Nook design wins put LG at top of global media tablet display market.
What do disparate media tablet devices like the Apple iPad, Amazon Kindle Fire, and the Barnes & Noble Nook have in common? They all depend on South Korea’s LG Display as the main supplier of their display panels—a coveted distinction that has made the company the world’s top supplier of media tablet screens, according IHS.
LG Display is the leader by a wide margin of the tablet display market, with a 51 percent share of global unit shipments in the second quarter of 2011. The company is well ahead of South Korean rival Samsung—which also supplies panels for the Apple iPad as well for its own Samsung Galaxy Tab—at a distant second with a 35 percent share. Third-place Chimei Innolux Corp. of Taiwan, another Apple supplier that also provides for the Chinese white-box market, controls a 9 percent share, as shown in the figure attached. The remaining 5 percent of the tablet display market is split among several smaller firms.
LG Display also enjoys a competitive advantage in terms of economy of scale, as it devotes more capacity than other manufacturers to making media tablet displays. Such generous capacity—as well as being Apple’s main supplier—has catapulted LG Display to a favorable position in the market.
Tablets reshape small/medium display business
From the time the iPad was introduced last year by Apple, tablet devices have becomeone of the main driving forces for growth in the market for small- and medium-sized displays, defined as screens smaller than 10 inches in the diagonal dimension.
Tablet shipments are expected to surge an astounding 273 percent this year compared to 2010. And at a time when sales of many consumer electronic items have stalled, media tablet shipments will maintain a robust compound annual growth rate of 45 percent from 2011 to 2015, showcasing the healthy prospects that lie ahead for the space.
Daunting specs
Companies hoping to enter the media tablet display space face a number of barriers. For one, displays hoping to merit consideration for inclusion in best-selling tablets must meet demanding specifications for size, pixel format, power consumption and response time.
The standard pixel format for 9.x-inch displays—the size category of the iPad, and the dominant dimension in the industry—is 1,024 by 768 at 132 pixels per inch.
Meanwhile, the standard pixel format for 7.x-inch displays—the size used by the new Kindle Fire and the Galaxy Tab—is at 1,024 by 600 at 170 pixels-per-inch. There is conjecture that Apple will implement its Retina display with resolutions of greater than 300 pixels per inch in the new iPad 3, which is expected to launch in 2012. If so, this will up the resolution trend in the media tablet PC space, challenging other tablet makers to follow suit.
Panel suppliers that cannot meet these exacting display standards or efficiently produce viable displays at such sizes and resolutions will find it very hard to compete in the market, IHS believes.
IPS competition
IPS LCD technology soon may encounter some stiff competition. Japan’s Sharp Corp. has introduced a new oxide material consisting of indium, gallium, and zinc called IGZO that supports high electron mobility—20 to 30 times faster than conventional amorphous silicon (a-Si) technology. Sharp plans to commercialize a TFT LCD using IGZO material by downsizing the transistor and increasing the light transmittance. This will make the display more power efficient and enable higher pixel densities.
IGZO production can be achieved on existing a-Si lines with little modification, making it cost competitive. Sharp plans to manufacture IGZO displays at its eighth-generation a-Si fab in Kameyama, Japan with production expected to start this year.
Another variant of the wide viewing angle technology very similar to IPS LCD is Fringe Field Sequential (FFS) LCD which continues to be used for tablet PC displays. The patent for FFS LCD resides with Taiwanese-based LCD supplier E Ink Corp. (Hydis). However, because of the lack of capacity at E Ink to manufacture larger-sized panels, E Ink licenses this technology to other LCD suppliers, including LG Display.
With the tablet wars ensuing in earnest, the technology that comes out ahead may well determine which display supplier shines brightest in the years to come.
Source: http://evertiq.com/news/21055
JUSUNG Engineering Releases MOCVD IGZO Technology for Flat Panel Displays
JUSUNG Engineering, a provider of solar cell, display and semiconductor manufacturing technologies, has released an innovative deposition technology that allows flat panel display manufacturers to improve high definition resolution in the future OLED displays.
A metal organic chemical vapor deposition (MOCVD) technology is used in the novel product to use the significant transparent semiconductor oxide material for utilization on flat panels. IGZO - Indium, Gallium, Zinc, Oxygen is the new material that substitutes the conventional amorphous silicon-based active layer. The electron mobility of IGZO is 40 times higher than that of conventional materials and the reaction speed of the display can be controlled quickly. This will help panel makers to provide screen resolutions more than the currently available Full High Definition.
JUSUNG Engineering claims to be the world’s first company to provide MOCVD IGZO efficiency for the panels of the 8th Generation. This new product is compatible with future OLED TVs, LCD TVs and mobile displays.
The MOCVD technology has advantages over traditional deposition methods. It enables panel makers to adjust the IGZO material composition to modify it for their application. Since the previous traditional deposition methods restrict the composition to fixed ratios, the process of fine tuning the composition is significant in the new material. The company hopes to get market acceptance for the new MOCVD technology.
A representative from JUSUNG clarified that the display companies around the world have started to shift to high-speed display technology through the use of IGZO materials. He also said that by being the first one to market this product, JUSUNG will use its growing market influence to come up as a leading capital equipment manufacturer in the world.
By: Cameron Chai
Source: http://www.jusung.com
