Makers' R&D gears toward enhanced color display, clarity

Makers' R&D gears toward enhanced color display, clarity
LCD module product development in China centers on augmenting colors and enhancing display clarity. Makers are also tapping into cost-efficient alternative raw materials and technologies.
With the cost of producing CSTN and TFT-LCD modules gradually leveling off to narrow the gap with TN/STN-LCD modules, China suppliers forecast that the transition from b/w displays to color displays will gain speed in the short term. Companies plan to step up their product development efforts and eventually increase their production of CSTN and TFT-LCD modules, especially for use in game machines, home appliances, medical instruments, dashboard status indicators and public information displays.
Development work is also underway to increase the number of STN LCD modules used for industrial applications. For LCD modules used in backlighting units, meanwhile, manufacturers are looking into techniques that will support red and composite color instead of the usual yellow, green and white.
Some China makers are employing DSTN technology to achieve a quick refresh rate. A handful of companies are boosting their capability for 4.3in TFT-LCD modules integrating a single driver IC instead of the usual two. Others make use of frosted polarizers and specialized liquid crystals as alternative to the more expensive dye liquid crystals.
As a long term-goal, China LCD module makers plan to continue R&D on ICs and backlighting units that generally improve product quality while shaving off manufacturing outlay. Their ultimate objective, makers add, is to produce modules that will afford LCDs a higher contrast ratio, wider viewing angles and a broader temperature range. Suppliers are likewise exploring methods to support end-product makers’ aims to reduce power consumption without compromising display quality.
To steer clear of IPR issues, most China suppliers have secured licenses for their production systems and have released patented models. Some companies now offer patented eight-color field sequential color LCD (FS LCD) modules and dot-matrix FS LCD modules. Others have developed patented CSTN-LCD modules for mobile phones with a display resolution that allows viewing even under direct sunlight.