Sharp to make IGZO LCD panels for smartphones

Sharp Corp. has announced the production of IGZO LCD panels for smartphones and will begin manufacturing them at its Kameyama Plant No. 2 within this year. The plant, which went online in August 2006, has seen the company use large, 8th-generation glass substrates in the highly efficient production of LCD panels for big-screen TVs. Having introduced IGZO display technology in March 2012, Sharp has since been producing small- and medium-size LCD panels for tablet and notebook PCs as well as larger LCD panels for high-resolution LCD monitors.

Using 8th-generation glass substrates, Sharp will be the first company in the world to achieve commercial production of high-definition LCD panels for smartphones—something that was previously considered difficult to achieve, the firm stated. The highly efficient production levels achievable with 8th-generation glass substrates will be made possible by an optimised production process as well as by IGZO technology's ability to enable smaller thin-film transistors and increased light transmittance.

Sharp will work to meet vigorously growing demand for LCDs in the smartphone market by taking advantage of the energy efficiency, super-high resolution and high-performance touchscreen functionality of its IGZO LCD panels. Furthermore, Sharp will continue to expand the range of applications of IGZO in products such as tablets, notebooks and 4K displays.