Toshiba Matsushita Display Announces Development of 
the World’s First Low-Temperature Polysilicon TFT LCD Prototype
  with Light Pen Input Capability

Light Pen Input Function Enables Direct Writing Onto the Display Surface

Tokyo, Japan -- Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Co., Ltd. (TMD*), the leading manufacturer of TFT LCD modules for mobile applications, today announced the development of a low-temperature polysilicon TFT LCD (LTPS) prototype display with a novel light pen input capability that enables users to hand-write freely onto the display surface. TMD will exhibit this new technology in the Toshiba Corporation booth, #C38 of Hall 8 at CEATEC Japan 2005, October 4-8, in Makuhari Messe, Chiba, Japan. TMD will also exhibit in booth, #205, at FPD International 2005, October 19-21, in Pacifico Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan.

One of the company’s strategic efforts has been to take advantage of the characteristics of LTPS technology to develop system-on-glass (SOG) based products. In April 2003, TMD announced the world’s first input-display that could scan images placed directly onto the surface of the display. This light pen input capability is another step in the advancement of SOG technology.

This new prototype has a photo sensor and signal processing function LSI that enable characters, graphics and line art to be written directly onto the LCD glass. This differs from today’s existing methods of incorporating input capability into display systems, which add additional devices such as touch panels and their associated costs. TMD’s approach, by adopting a light pen input function, does not degrade brightness or contrast, while maintaining the display’s inherent high-performance quality. Furthermore, since the input function is integrated directly into the display, without any additional input devices, the result is a thinner, lighter and more compact package with high reliability. 

In addition, this approach incorporates higher resolution LTPS technology and faster switching speeds. Through the improvement of photo-sensor sensitivity and the precise control of the input signal, this approach enables remarkably quick encoding of input information through rapid signal processing.

The approach, with built-in photo-sensors, when combined with the light pen, enables direct input of handwritten graphics, text, images, etc. Also, this approach easily allows for the addition of a protective sheet (e.g., an acrylic sheet) to protect the display surface from dust and perspiration. The company believes that this achievement will fuel the development of various kinds of applications and products for business and other applications. 

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