Toshiba Matsushita Grows Fond of LED-backlit Displays

The Light-Emitting Diode (LED) is basically a semiconductor that emits light when an electrical current is applied to it. The principle by which it functions is simple, and the same base technology is used in the manufacturing process of transistors. It's an semiconductor material doped with impurities to create a p-n junction. The p area is formed out of positive charges and the n area is formed out of negative ones.

Between the two differently charged areas a space is formed, which is called a depletion zone, formed out of a nonconducting layer. The semiconductor remains in this state until an electrical current is applied at one of the ends. Due to the different materials used in the manufacturing process of the semiconductor, when an electrical current is applied the semiconductor emits light in different colors, and usually is coated with a similar colored plastic cap.

Once companies like Sony, Asus and Fujitsu have already launched products featuring LED-backlit displays, Toshiba Matsushita Display Technology Corporation offers a new series of displays. These vary in size from 8.9 to 13.3-inches, they have brightness levels from 240 to 300cd/m2, and with a weight from 120 to 225 grams, they are aimed towards notebook, tablet PC and UMPC markets. The optimal resolutions for these panels are 1024x768, 1280x768, 1280x800 and 1366x768.

The panels are also extremely slim, at 2.5mm thick they are perfect for streamlined, sleek notebooks and tablet PCs. The forecast for the LCD production is favorable for the LED-backlit displays, expecting more than 50% of TMDs production to be shifted towards LEDs before the end of the year. As a newcomer on this type of market, it's expected either to have very good products, or to fail to rise to the customers' expectations.