Newsroom Home Newsroom Archive 2003 March 26

News Release

Epson Develops High-Temperature Poly-Si TFT Panels for Next-Generation Projectors

TOKYO, Japan, March 26 - Seiko Epson Corporation ("Epson") has developed high-temperature polysilicon ("HTPS") thin-film transistor liquid-crystal panels that raise the performance bar for liquid-crystal (LC) projectors.

Epson, which has long driven the market for liquid-crystal projectors, boasts the top share[1] of the Japanese market for projectors. Moreover, the company has kept a firm grip on its position as the world's leading supplier of HTPS panels, a core projector component. Although business-use market currently constitutes the largest projector market, the up-and-coming education/training and home theater markets are expected to burgeon in the future.

The new HTPS panels, known by their development code name as the "D IV" series," further improve on the performance of last year's D III series. The D IV series panels incorporate leading-edge technology for achieving higher aperture ratios and higher image quality. Designed particularly for consumer projectors, the new panels offer outstanding brightness, image quality and cost performance.

HTPS D IV Series Features
1. High aperture ratio

• High pixel density fabrication technology enables a pixel pitch of 12 µm.
• Higher aperture ratio on same-size LC panels
  (For example, the aperture ratio on a 0.7-inch XGA panel was increased 13%, from 53% to 60%.)
• Even with a 12-µm pixel pitch, aperture ratios remain essentially the same, enabling the size of panels to be scaled down.
  (For example, whereas a conventional 0.9-inch, wide-format, 1284 x 724 720P panel has an aperture ratio of 52%, a new 0.7-inch, wide-format panel with the same resolution has an aperture ratio of 50%.)
  

2. High image quality
New planarization technology and a smaller (2.5 µ) cell-gap design are used.

• Panel planarization produces an even smoother picture.
• The reduced cell-gap boosts response speed by 25%.
• Even with a high pixel density (a 12-µm pixel pitch), a contrast of 500 is achieved without sacrificing transmittance. (The result is improved quality of moving images.)

3. These panels offer the following benefits in a projector:

• A high aperture ratio for increased brightness, without changing the lamp specifications.
• A smaller panel size, yet the same resolution, nearly the same aperture ratio, and higher cost performance.
• Enhanced quality of moving images

New HTPS panels in the D IV series
The new panels will be available in sample quantities from June 2003 and in production quantities from September 2003.

Product Specifications

The newly developed D IV series of HTPS panels will be on display at the EDEX 2003 Electronic Display Exposition to be held at the Tokyo Big Sight from April 9 - 11.

Long the leader in high-brightness liquid crystal panels for the projector market, Epson is committed to deploying its new technology in an assortment of panel models while continuing to develop technology that further boosts projector performance.

About Seiko Epson
Seiko Epson is a progressive company that increases its corporate value through its innovative and creative culture. The company's main product lines comprise information-related equipment such as printers and projectors, electronic devices including semiconductors, LCDs and crystal devices, and precision products such as watches. A global leader in high-quality technology products that meet customer demands for increased functionality, compactness and energy efficiency, Seiko Epson had consolidated sales in fiscal 2001 of 1,274 billion yen and a global workforce of 68,786 employees.

Contacts
Corporate Communications Dept., Seiko Epson Corporation.
+81-266-58-1705 or +81-3-3340-2637
E-mail
http://www.epson.co.jp/
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[1] According to Epson research