From: rick@cs.arizona.edu (Rick Schlichting) Subject: TECH: Kahaner Report: NEC 13" color TFT flat panel display Date: 28 Jun 93 05:22:41 GMT Organization: University of Arizona CS Department, Tucson AZ Crossposted from comp.research.japan [Dr. David Kahaner is a numerical analyst on sabbatical to the Office of Naval Research-Asia (ONR Asia) in Tokyo from NIST. The following is the professional opinion of David Kahaner and in no way has the blessing of the US Government or any agency of it. All information is dated and of limited life time. This disclaimer should be noted on ANY attribution.] [Copies of previous reports written by Kahaner can be obtained using anonymous FTP from host cs.arizona.edu, directory japan/kahaner.reports.] From: Dr. David K. Kahaner US Office of Naval Research Asia (From outside US): 23-17, 7-chome, Roppongi, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106 Japan (From within US): Unit 45002, APO AP 96337-0007 Tel: +81 3 3401-8924, Fax: +81 3 3403-9670 Email: kahaner@cs.titech.ac.jp Re: NEC 13" color TFT flat panel display. 16 June 1993 This file is named "nec-tft.93" ABSTRACT. NEC's new 13-inch TFT (analog) color flat panel display. NEC announced on April 15 that it has developed a 13-inch diagonal color TFT (Thin Film Transistor) LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) module with initial production already taking place at the NEC Kagoshima Plant (southern Kyushu island). Basis research took place at the firm's Tamagawa facility in Tokyo. This new 1280x1024 display (200mu-m pixel pitch) is said to be capable of reproducing a full range of colors because of its use of an analog RGB (rather than digital) interface and also through an analog analysis of image signals which do not require convertion into digital form. A major application will be in next-generation workstations requiring power-efficient, full color displays. The device was described at a Society for Information Display conference, SID'93, in Seattle May 1993, in a paper (#4.1) by Ohi, Nakajima, Ueda, Shibahara, Hamada & Hirano. NEC is gearing up for mass production in Southern Kyushu. NEC/ Kagoshima's new US$300M plant, now under construction, is expected to triple its current monthly LCD output of 40,000 units to 120,000 by 1994. In addition, by 1996 NEC will spend another US$300M on the construction of another plant to expand its monthly production to 200,000 units nationwide. At that time its production of LCDs will account for 25 percent of the world market. Unlike other models, which convert analog input image signals into digital form, the new screen handles image signals in a fully analog form, without undertaking any conversion. This is claimed to produce both a sharper, clearer picture and a richer palette of colors. The full-analog analysis system is equipped with high-speed, high- performance signal management technology. This, together with a new LSI using 12V-BICMOS and 44V-BIPLOAR technology has made possible a display of all natural colors on a 13 inch screen. Previous models could render a maximum of about 4K colors. According to NEC, this new (257x206mm) display has numerous advantages: (1) It is most suitable for next-generation engineering workstations due to its high definition; (2) It is a handy alterative to cathode-ray tubes (CRT), (3) It is compatible with the firm's conventional 13-inch digital interface version with regard to screen size and the number of pixels: and (4) It is energy-saving; despite the color display, it requires only 28 watts, about 1/10 of what is needed by a standard CRT. NEC now has 10 different kinds of TFT color LCDs for various applications, from note-book type personal computers to workstations. NEC projects 30 billion yen (approximately US$275M) sales in color LCDs in 1993. NEC also announced plans to expand production of its entire line of LCD product at its Kagoshima Plant. In addition, a new Kagoshima Plant, under construction adjacent to the old plant at Izumi, is scheduled for completion by 1994. NEC has already invested 20 billion yen (US$190M) in the plant and another 20 billion yen is allocated for the next two years. Upon completion of the new plant in 1994, NEC Kagoshima will triple its current total LCD output of 40,000 units per month to 120,000. By 1996, NEC projects the LCD market will grow to 500 billion yen ($US4.5B) worldwide, five times what it is now. [Nomura Research Institute and SEMI have estimated a US$7B worldwide LCD market in 1995. DKK] With that prospect in mind, NEC plans to invest another 40 billion yen (US$350M) by 1996 for the construction of a new plant. The new plant site, however, has yet to be decided, according to NEC officials. The firm plans to expand its LCD output to 20,000 units per month nationwide, which will bring its world market share to approximately 25%. Already well established in Kyushu, NEC's new plans for expansion of TFT LCD production in Kagoshima follows closely on the expansion of memory chip facilities in Kumamoto (Central Kyushu) for 16 and 64 Mbit DRAMs. While no LCD research facilities are yet located in Kyushu, it seems only a matter of time before NEC expands its regional facilities in this direction as well, reflecting the development of similar facilities of DRAM chips. -----------------------------END OF REPORT--------------------------