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Semiconductor Insights’ Analysis Reveals Polycrystaline Silicon Mobile Displays Have Hit MainstreamFOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: YOKOHAMA, Japan, October 18, 2006 - Semiconductor Insights (SI), the leader in technical and patent analyses of integrated circuits and electronic systems, today announced that it has completed analysis of the Sharp AQUOS QVGA screen used in high-end Sharp video handsets, such as the Vodafone 905SH. SI has determined that the polycrystaline silicon display incorporates on-glass transistors for both the source and gate (row and column) drivers. The on-glass transistors have excellent electron mobility, approaching an equivalent level to CMOS displays. This means that the thin film transistors (TFTs) in the pixel raster can be very small, enabling more of the backlight to reach the eye, resulting in a brighter screen. Also, high electron mobility enables drive transistors to be manufactured on the display glass, eliminating the traditional driver ICs. "This is the first time we have seen both source and gate drive transistors on the glass. The normalized drive current capability of these transistors, measured in microamps per micron of gate length, was about a third of that found in standard CMOS display drivers SI has analyzed,” said Rob Hilkes, SI’s lead technology analyst for mixed signal ICs. “Using LCD technology from high end televisions allows Sharp to take advantage of their expertise, efficiently building new revenue streams for their technology, while providing better displays for consumers. The capabilities are certainly sufficient performance to justify this level of integration.” With the huge growth of the mobile display market, display driver IC manufacturers are feeling all the pressures associated with a commodity market. Now that display companies like Sharp and Samsung have demonstrated commercially viable polycrystaline silicon mobile displays, CMOS display driver IC manufacturers will need to innovate with new features that compel handset makers to keep them on the bill of materials. One possible area for innovation is the incorporation of other functions such as closed loop LED backlighting control. "Of course it is far easier for a display company to incorporate transistors than for a CMOS chip company to build displays. I think we will see some rationalizion in the industry very soon", says Hilkes. Additional Information:
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