New Substrate Tech Creates System LCDs

smartalix writes "Sharp Microelectronics has recently developed a new LCD substrate technology called Continuous-Grain Silicon (CG-Silicon), that enables device integration on a scale previously impossible. The technology enables the creation of System LCDs that integrate all driver and operation circuitry -- including digital logic, LCD driver, power supply, I/O interfaces, and signal-processing circuitry -- onto the glass itself. Eventually even the device's CPU will be included on the substrate. A key SLCD feature is the ability to dynamically control the resolution and color depth, providing output in multiple-resolution modes while lowering overall power consumption. A 3.7-in. SLCD created with CG-Silicon had a power consumption of 14 mW for color VGA, 8 mW for color QVGA, and 2 mW for monochrome QVGA. The first commercially available product that incorporates the System LCD architecture is Sharp's Zaurus SL-C700 PDA, recently released in Japan."

Comments

QVGA?

[pestie]

What the bejesus is QVGA?

Good news...

[Cutriss]

The first commercially available product that incorporates the System LCD architecture is Sharp's Zaurus SL-C700 PDA, recently released in Japan.

If that's true, then it's about time. I can't count how many next-gen display technology announcements I've seen on /. about stuff that's supposed to make better displays cheaper, and then the product never comes to market.

The fact that there's something already out there using it means that we're much more likely to see the technology become more widespread and adapted to other devices.

Re:Good news...

[First_In_Hell]

Keep waiting. How long does it take for any new technology to reach an affordable implementation and price? Look at flat-panel monitors. Just now are they becoming affordable. We had to enture $1500 15' inch LCDs that now sell for $250 which had crappier quality than a low end laptop screen.

Also, what is right for the Japanese market is not always right over here. The way they use cell phones over there borders on some science-fiction movies, while companies are still trying to get online cell phone games to catch on over here.

The future is HERE... again.

[Ninja Master Gara]

It sounds truly awesome. Soon we'll be grafting pda's to our skin, as promised for decades. Dick Tracy watch?! Hah! I can play Tetris!

Btw, a direct link to the news article is here

superman!

[WPIDalamar]

circutry on glass?

Sweet, so when can we have computers that come on crystals like in the superman movie.

Oooh, can the glass go transparent? I'd love a window that doubles as a computer. I bet it can't :(

Carppy transistors

[brejc8]

A few months ago I was talking to someone who was working on using the transistors on LCDs to do actual computation. The problem was thet there is a hude varioation in speed between individual transistors. Making the worst case delay and clock distribution too painful to make the system usefull for anything.

They were at the Async confrence and they were very intrested in doing everything asynchronously. It makes sence as implementing the logic in asynchronous circuits solves both problems.

This is bad news...

[webmaven]

Crap. This means that we'll be dealing with displays that have completely integrated copy-protection mechanisms.

Even if current efforts such as Intel's HDCP are flawed, future versions of these technologies may not be amenable to cryptographic attacks, and hardware based attacks will be extremely difficult if the circuitry is embedded in the screen itself.

This falls perfectly in line with the Broadcast Protection Discussion Group's desire to mandate implementation of a broadcast flag that all devices must honor.