Sharp Begins Production of IGZO LCD Panels

In March 2012 at Kameyama Plant No. 2, Sharp began producing the world's first high-performance LCD panels incorporating IGZO oxide semiconductors, according to a press release from Shart. The company says it is expanding production scale through April to meet market demand.

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Kameyama Plant No. 2 first started operations in August 2006, manufacturing highly advanced LCD panels for TVs. Production systems have subsequently been reorganized to focus on producing small- and medium-sized LCD panels for the world's rapidly growing smartphone and tablet terminal markets.

Employing advanced IGZO oxide semiconductors enables Sharp to produce LCDs with smaller thin-film transistors and increased pixel transparency, thus allowing for lower energy consumption. In addition, proprietary UV2A*3 photo-alignment technology employed in Sharp's AQUOS LCD TVs enables these displays to achieve high image quality.


Sharp will encourage the application of its new high-resolution LCD panels to high-definition notebook PCs and LCD monitors-which are both expected to grow in demand-as well as to mobile devices. Sharp will also contribute to creating markets for attractive new products.
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Early rumors had Apple using IGZO LCDs for the new iPad but that failed to materialize. It's said that Sharp was unable to pass Apple's approval process for iPad 3 display production in time for launch.

Read more [via MacRumors]