Sumsung Electronics Co Ltd has announced the development of Blue Phase, a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel with a new mode that eliminates the needs for the rubbing process and liquid crystal alignment layers.

The Blue Phase LCD panel can be driven at a speed higher than 240 Hz and can

The main feature of the Blue Phase-mode LCD panel is that it requires no liquid crystal alignment layers, unlike twisted nematic (TN), vertical alignment (VA) and in-plane switching (IPS) modes, which are presently pervasive. All of these existing modes require a mechanical alignment process called rubbing, which is composed of a number of steps. The rubbing process is one of the factors that increases the production cost of panels.

However, in the Blue Phase-mode LCD panel alignment layers are automatically formed without a mechanical processing. This results in less damage in the interface between liquid crystals and more uniform luminance on the panel surface, the company says.

In contrast to existing LCD televisions, which are driven at a speed of 120 Hz, the Blue Phase-mode LCD panels allow images to be reproduced at 240 Hz or higher without the need for an overdrive circuit, because the mode features a shorter response time, Samsung claims.

The name 'Blue Phase' is derived from the fact that the new mode panel looks bluish when it is in operation. A number of universities and corporate institutions are conducting research on this mode, but Samsung is reportedly the first to develop a commercially viable prototype. Samsung expects to begin mass producing the Blue Phase LCD panels as early as 2011, targeting televisions that require high-speed video reproduction.

For further in formation, contact: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd, 250 2-ga, Taepyong-ro, Jung-gu, Seoul 100-742, South Korea; tel: +82-2-727-7114; fax: +82-2-727-7892; Internet: www.samsung.com