Samsung Electronics is producing seven-inch LCDs for multimedia handsets which replace up to seven driver components with a single chip WVGA-level 800x480 pixel display.

"This technology breakthrough enables our customers to develop truly differentiated portable electronic devices with higher resolution, wide aspect ratio mobile displays. Using a single-chip packaging solution, we have integrated most of the display electronics on an amorphous silicon LCD," said Samsung Electronics executive v-p Yun Jin-hyuk.

According to the firm, the all-in-one display replaces the four-to-seven driver ICs common for a seven-inch platform. "The mobile display also eliminates the need to have a separate printed circuit board that contains timing control and power components to drive the display," said the firm.

Samsung has applied its proprietary amorphous silicon gate technology to the development of the new seven-inch LCD, enabling the gate driver IC to be fabricated directly on the glass substrate, with the timing controller integrated within the driver IC.

An onboard digital chip eliminates the need for mobile developers to design their own circuits. The overall circuit footprint and component count have been reduced to about 1/3 of a conventional seven-inch LCD, inviting widespread adoption of the new seven-inch LCD in slimmer, more efficient system designs.

Samsung plans to expand the 7-inch LCD production capacity to 10 million units by 2007, and also expand the product line up to the five-inch class within the first half of next year.