Sharp Microelectronics of the Americas, a manufacturer of innovative LCD, optoelectronics, memory, imager, and RF components, announced the latest additions to its Memory LCD suite of products.

The additions include a new 2.7-inch Transflective display, 2.94-inch display, a 6.0-inch display, and a 1.35 inch Memory LCDs are also available. The innovative Sharp (News - Alert) Memory LCD technology has been designed to deliver high-contrast, high-resolution monochrome display that allows for denser content than many other types of same-sized LCDs, as well as eliminate ghost or sweeping images, which was the only area which required enhancement. It essentially stores one-bit memory in each pixel, and hence is ideal display solution for e-book readers, smart meters, medical monitoring devices, white goods, fish finders, and many other applications.

There are two primary types of Memory LCD modules available, the Silver Metallic Polymer Network Liquid Crystal Modules (PNLC) where the PNLC layer is formed between a transparent surface electrode and mirror-reflective pixel electrodes and provides a very bright reflective display; and the Clear Monochrome HR-TFT Module essentially adds a polarizer, to significantly enhance the contrast of the display, to the top layer. This is achieved by enhancing the black layer which results in crisp black and white image that closely mimics the readability of print on paper.

Based on the size the Memory LCDs are available in three types, the 2.7-inch WQVGA HR-TFT Transflective Memory LCD (LS027B7DH01) which is available for USD $50; 2.94-inch PNLC Memory LCD (LS029B4DN01) which can be purchased for USD $65 with additional size option; and 6.0-inch HR-TFT Memory LCD (LS060S2UD01) which is available for USD $95 and offers low power consumption, readability, and ease of design, as well as up to 16 pseudo-levels of gray scale for better rendition of images.

By storing one-bit memory in every pixel, it enables each pixel to hold on to the state and deliver an “always on” option, and also requires very little current as only a single supply voltage is required while updating images. It allows the designers to create new products with an exceptionally long battery life. The Memory LCD’s response time allows it to deliver faster motion video with bold and crisp black images in a small diagonal display. The panel is lightweight and has a two glass design, which when integrated with the driver provides an exceptionally thin module which is an ideal solution for hand held, wrist-top, and other devices that benefit from displaying rich content in small screen.