Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas Expands Lineup of Small, Ruggedized Displays for Industrial Applications

San Francisco and Camas, Wash., June 6, 2006:  At the Society for Information Display 2006 International Symposium Seminar and Exhibition, Sharp announces a notable expansion in its lineup of small, ruggedized Liquid Crystal Displays (LCDs) for the industrial OEM market. Based on Sharp’s proprietary technologies, these displays offer industrial OEMs greater display options for brightness, contrast, temperature ranges, and lower power consumption. They also support designs built upon standardized platforms and that require long supplier part life cycles. 

As the market for handheld devices continues to grow, demand for rugged color displays with greater luminance, contrast, and resolution options is also rising. This trend is especially evident in the industrial and medical markets.  An innovator in display technology and manufacturing, Sharp has anticipated the need of OEMs for not only greater display performance but also for features such as low reflectivity, excellent visibility indoors and outdoors, and highly transparent and shatterproof touch panels.

3.7 Inch CG-Silicon LCD with Multi-resolution/Multi-color Functionality

Sharp offers engineers greater design flexibility with its 3.7 inch CG-Silicon TFT-LCD module that can switch to drive QVGA or VGA resolutions. This Advanced TFT (AD-TFT) Transflective display also allows the designer to choose a 262,144 color (6-bit RGB) or 8 color (RGB) mode.

Incorporating Sharp’s proprietary CG-Silicon LCD technology, this 3.7 inch panel offers distinct advantages not offered by other manufacturers. CG-Silicon integrates all the circuitry needed to drive and operate a display onto the glass substrate itself. By removing external circuits bonded to the display, CG-Silicon technology makes possible a new generation of smaller, thinner, stronger, and more energy efficient displays for mobile devices across a range of markets. The 3.7 inch display features transflective properties with 4 percent reflection ratio, 200:1 contrast ratio, 165 cd/m2 of brightness, a slim 4.4 mm profile, and an operating temperature range of -10°C to +60°C. This makes it ideal for both indoor and outdoor applications that require high resolution, crisp, clear images, and a thin profile. The display also includes an integrated touch screen.

5.7 Inch Amorphous Silicon Transmissive TFT Mobile Display

For mobile designs that require a larger screen, designers can choose the 5.7 inch amorphous silicon transmissive display that features a 240 x 320 pixel format, 500 cd/m2 of brightness, and -10°C to +70°C
operating temperature. Its low reflection and high color saturation make it a good choice for medical or retail/point-of-sale applications.

“Given the importance of the North American industrial design market, we continue to expand our display product line in terms of size, specification, and form factor,” said Kraig Kawada, Senior Director of Display Products, Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas. “By applying our proprietary display technologies such as Advanced Super View and CG-Silicon, Sharp uniquely pushes the technical boundaries of industrial displays in key areas of higher resolution and brightness, durability, wider viewing angles, and greater temperature ranges.” 

3.5 inch AD-TFT and 4.3 inch Advanced Super View Displays for Handheld Devices

These new high performance displays join other mobile displays optimized for industrial applications. Sharp’s 3.5 inch and 4.3 inch displays feature greater light output, high contrast, and thin profile that are required for advanced handheld products. The versatile 3.5 inch AD-TFT (LQ035Q7DH06) display comes in a 240 x 320 pixel format, and features 225 cd/m2 of brightness from six high-efficiency white LED backlights; 80:1 contrast ratio in Transmissive mode, and operating temperature of -10°C to +70°C.

Additionally, Sharp’s 4.3 inch amorphous silicon digital display (LQ043T3DX02) includes a 16:9 aspect ratio, 480 x 272 pixel format, 400:1 contrast ratio, and an operating temperature of -10°C to +50°C. Using Sharp’s proprietary Advanced Super View technology, the display offers a 160-degree symmetrical viewing angle, so images can be viewed from any angle without color reversal or sacrifices in contrast. The low-reflective black screen yields higher contrast and excellent black level uniformity. The panel was developed specifically for applications that call for a landscape orientation. The LED backlight is a useful feature because it allows for a thin package size and significantly reduces EMI problems.

Applications

Applications for Sharp’s lineup of industrial displays include: handheld GPS systems, test & measurement equipment, portable patient monitoring, gaming, signage, and point-of-sale, as well as portable media players, and any application that requires greater on-screen performance.

Specifications

Pricing and Availability

The 3.5 inch, 3.7 inch, 4.3 inch, and 5.7 inch displays are available now. Please contact Sharp at www.sharpsma.com for pricing information.

These new displays are RoHS** compliant and meet environmental quality mandates. They will be on exhibit at the Sharp Booth No. 502 at the Society for Information Display 2006 International Symposium, Seminar and Exhibition, June 6-8, at the Moscone Center in San Francisco, Calif.

Design Support

For more than 17 years, Sharp has developed displays for industrial use. Its staff of Field Application Engineers and extensive sales force support its customers throughout the design cycle. More information about Sharp’s display products can be found at www.sharpsma.com.

About Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas

Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas, Camas, Wash., is the U.S.-based microelectronics sales and marketing unit of Japan’s Sharp Corporation. Sharp is a worldwide developer of core digital technologies that are playing an integral role in shaping the next generation of electronic products for consumer and business needs. Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas offers breakthrough memory, LCD, optoelectronics, CCD, RF/IR, microcontroller and System-on-Chip components, along with packaging and integration skills that help design engineers throughout North and South America bring their ambitious ideas to market. Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas is dedicated to improving people's lives through the use of advanced technology and a commitment to innovation, quality, value, and design. For more information, visit www.sharpsma.com.

Note: All trademarks and registered trademarks are the property of their respective companies.
 

* CG-Silicon is a next-generation technology developed jointly by Sharp and Semiconductor Energy Laboratory Co., Ltd. (head office: Atsugi, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan; president Shunpei Yamazaki)

** The Restriction of Hazardous substances in Electrical and Electronic Equipment (ROHS) Directive (2002/95/EC). This directive is scheduled to take effect July 1, 2006.

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Media contact:
Marion Margiotta
Young & Roehr Group
503.222.0626 ext. 711
mmargiotta@young-roehr.com