Seiko Epson Corporation ("Epson") has begun volume production of 0.96 inch with 2.54 cm diagonal high-temperature poly silicon TFT panels for 3LCD front projectors compatible with SXGA+.

The new panels use the latest D7 design rule process to achieve higher aperture ratios, allowing them to offer SXGA+ resolution as well as increased brightness. Further, the panels make use of high light-resistant liquid crystal material to ensure the greater light resistance also needed to increase brightness.

Due to such factors as the increasingly common practice of making presentations at companies and the growing trend of using IT in the education market, the data projector market is expected to continue to expand at an annual rate of approximately 15%, projection based on market research by Epson.

The growth in the uses of data projectors has led to demands for higher resolution and wider displays, as well as for greater brightness to meet the increasing needs presented by the use of data projectors in a wide range of situations. In order to respond to these market demands, Epson has been continuously engaged in efforts for commercialization of panels with higher aperture ratios using its own original high aperture process technology called the D series which was developed based on the process technology of each
generation.

The use of D7 process technology has increased the aperture ratio to 77%, a boost of 43% over that produced by currently existing process technology. As a result, where a 0.96-inch SXGA+ panel using conventional process technology produced product luminance of 3,000 to 3,500 lm, the new panel is able to achieve product luminance of 4,000 to 5,000 lm. Due to the greater brightness,
luminous intensity per unit area of the panel also increased. The light
quantity per unit area, which is 11.71 lm/mm² when the luminance is
3,500 lm, increased 42% to 16.71 lm/mm² when the luminance is 5,000 lm.

In order to achieve greater brightness, it is important to increase brightness by increasing the aperture ratio, and also to realize greater light resistance so as to enable the product to withstand light of stronger intensity.

The 0.96-inch SXGA+ panels being put into volume production will satisfy the needs of the market for higher resolution and greater brightness by employing panels based on D7 process technology, and by utilizing LCD materials that further improve light resistance.

Plans call for the lineup of products utilizing this high light-resistant
liquid crystal material to be expanded and released on the market.

Arvind Dhingra, ITvoir Network