LG.Philips Develops Dirt-Resistant LCD Panels

Tired of irritating smudges, dust and fingerprints on laptop computer screens? LG.Philips LCD Co., the world's second-largest manufacturer of liquid crystal displays, has developed a dirt-resistant easy-to-clean panel for notebook computers.

"Our new panel employs a principle similar to that used on non-stick frying pans," Ahn Byung-chul, who leads development of advanced technology at the company, said in a statement. "Dirt and oil can easily be wiped away."

TFT-LCD panels usually feature a coating on the surface of the polarizer film, designed to reduce glare and reflections. Because of their chemical properties, some of these coatings have a tendency to hold on to dirt and oil. A computer user’s fingers are a ready source of both, and people touch the hinged screens on notebook computers quite often in order to adjust them.

Generally, to make LCD panels dirt-resistant, manufacturers must add a second coating to the polarizer film in addition to the glare-reduction coating. This is a time-consuming process that adds to overheads. LG.Philips LCD has found a way to eliminate this additional step.

"Fingerprints have always been an especially big annoyance and if they're not cleaned immediately become even harder to remove from the screen. That's why we developed this new technology,” Ahn added.

The South Korean company said the panel, which even facilitates the removal of ink, would go into production in the first half of 2008. The technology will be first applied to its 15.4-inch widescreen panels for notebook computers, and later for notebook panels of all sizes by the end of next year.