MicroDisplay Inks Development Deal with Hansol

Display manufacturer MicroDisplay Corp. (San Pablo, CA) has signed a contract with Hansol Electronics for the development of a rear-projection monitor featuring a high-resolution LCOS microdisplay. Under the terms of the contract, MicroDisplay is responsible for developing a projection-oriented microdisplay system, including high-resolution display and custom driver ASIC. For its part in the development, MicroDisplay is to be awarded $2.5 million. Hansol Electronics will develop the industrial design and user interface of the finished product. The producer of the optical engine for the system has not yet been chosen.

Hansol Electronics seeks to add a rear-projection monitor to their successful CRT and LCD computer monitor line. The new addition is intended to be the best of both worlds, combining the price and performance of a CRT with the weight and size of an LCD. The best way to achieve these goals is to incorporate a single, high-performance LCOS microdisplay, which allows substantial shrinkage of the overall package, due to the display's tiny size, while producing high-contrast, high-resolution images. The envisioned end product will be a 21`` monitor using a single LCOS panel of SXGA (1280x1024) resolution. MicroDisplay will release a full set of target monitor specifications at a future date.

MicroDisplay is manufacturing miniature information displays that integrate a compact, high-resolution, active matrix liquid crystal display with on-chip driver and decoding circuitry which exploit liquid crystal on semiconductor technology and operate in reflective mode.