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Often-rumored Apple partner Sharp announces production of Hi-DPI IGZO LCD displays


32-inch iMac or TV? We’ll take both!

Sharp revealed today that it began assembling high-performance LCDs last month with increased production in April to meet market demand.

Jefferies & Co.’s Peter Misek is a very outspoken analyst regarding Apple’s rumored HDTV. He first claimed in November that Sharp is preparing production lines for the “iTV,” but he later said the company plans to build roughly 5 million units beginning this spring with a product launch slated for Q4 2012.

According to Sharp, the LCDs will help the company contribute to “creating markets for attractive new products”:

Sharp will encourage the application of its new high-resolution LCD panels to high-definition notebook PCs and LCD monitors—which are both expected to grow in demand—as well as to mobile devices. Sharp will also contribute to creating markets for attractive new products.

Today’s announcement further explained that the LCDs in production are the world’s first panels to incorporate IGZO oxide semiconductors. The technology permits Sharp to produce LCDs with “smaller thin-film transistors and increased pixel transparency, thus allowing for lower energy consumption.”

The displays also employ “proprietary UV2A*3 photo-alignment technology.” The result equips the LCDs with a high-image quality.

Sharp’s Kameyama Plant No. 2, which is producing the displays, has created advanced LCD panels for televisions since 2006. However, it is now reorganized to also manufacture small- to mid-sized displays for the smartphone and tablet markets.

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