SRAM Integrated into Polysilicon LCD

Toshiba has announced the integration of static random access memory into reflective low-temperature polysilicon TFT LCDs for cellular phones that improves display performance.

The technology cuts power consumption of the display to half that of current mobile phone LCDs, an advance that extends overall standby time.

Toshiba will initially apply the breakthrough to the displays of next-generation mobile phones.

The integration embeds multiple SRAM cells with each RGB dot in the LCD array, an approach using the higher electron mobility of polysilicon.

The SRAM cells integrated in the LCD can hold one bit of data per RGB, allowing users to view email and other data, including eight-colour photographs, with no need to access the display's peripheral circuitry or for write to the pixel.

As a result, power consumption of the LCD in standby mode is cut by about 50%, and overall standby time for mobile phones is raised by 23%, from 350 to 430 hours (voltage: 3.3 V, 650 mAh).