Sharp to Mass Produce an LCD with Switchable Viewing Angle

Hamburg, 14.07.2005

Sharp Corporation and Sharp Laboratories of Europe, Ltd. have developed a new LCD, which enables the LCD to be switched between a wide viewing angle and narrow viewing angle by means of an electrical ON/OFF switching action. This will allow people to view email and other private information on portable devices such as mobile phones and notebook PCs with peace of mind without having to worry about others in the vicinity snooping to peek at what is being displayed on the LCD screen. Sharp will begin mass production of this display beginning in July 2005.

As the ubiquitous network society fast becomes a reality, information can be readily accessed in nearly any setting, and the demand for personal information terminals, such as mobile phones, notebook PCs, and PDAs, is growing rapidly. At the same time, there is an increasing need to provide portable devices like mobile phones and notebook PCs, which are frequently used to handle private information/data, with the capability to “veil” the display so that the screen content cannot be seen by other people in the immediate area.

The new LCD adds proprietary technologies such as a switching liquid crystal material overlaid on an ordinary TFT LCD so that light is prevented from going to the left or right, thus turning a wide viewing angle to a narrow viewing angle. This will allow people to use mobile devices with peace of mind, since they can change the viewing angle setting depending on the personal nature of the content they are viewing.

With today’s emphasis on safe handling of personal information, the switchable LCD is sure to contribute to increasing demand as an indispensable component of mobile devices.



About Sharp Microelectronics Europe
Sharp Microelectronics Europe, Hamburg, Germany, is a divisional company of Sharp Electronics (Europe) GmbH, which is a subsidiary of Sharp Corporation, Osaka, Japan. 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 Europe offers groundbreaking solutions in the areas of memory products, LCD, Opto Components, CCD, RF/IR, microcomputer and system-on-chip components, along with packaging and integration skills that help design engineers throughout Europe to bring their ambitious ideas to market. Sharp Microelectronics Europe is dedicated to improving people’s lives through the use of advanced technology and a commitment to innovation, quality, value and design.
Reprint free of charge / Specimen copy requested.
For further information and illustration material see: www.sharpsme.com

responsible:
Sharp Microlelectronics Europe

Sonninstraße 3
20097 Hamburg
Phone: +49 (0)180/5073507
Fax: +49 (0)40/2376-2232
email: infosme@seeg.sharp-eu.com

editorial:
Faktor 3 AG
Ralf Schäfer
Kattunbleiche 35
22041 Hamburg
Phone: +49 (0)40/679446-31
Fax: +49 (0)40/679446-11
email: r.schaefer@faktor3.de