1000ppi IGZO display targets virtual reality

Article By : Julien Happich

The high electron mobility of IGZO allows for transistor miniaturisation and circuit thinning, according to Sharp.

Japanese display maker Sharp has introduced Indium gallium zinc oxide (IGZO) process, a transparent crystalline oxide semiconductor technology that it uses as a backplane to drive various types of displays.

Sharp said the high electron mobility of IGZO allows it to achieve unprecedented transistor miniaturisation and circuit thinning, raising light transmission at pixel level while doubling display resolution.

In the IGZO booth at Ceatec Japan 2016, the company unveiled a very high definition IGZO display specifically aimed at Virtual Reality headsets, boasting 1920pi x 2160pi on a 2.87in unit at 1008ppi. To prove that at this resolution, pixels cannot be distinguished by the human eye, even when magnified by a VR lens, two panels were exhibited side by side, one naked, and another one with a lens in front of the panel. With 1920pi x 2160pi in front of each eye, that makes for a 4k (3,840×2,160) VR headset.

The 1008ppi resolution is to be compared with 806ppi announced by Sony on its Xperia Z5 Premium smartphone last year, Samsung Galaxy Note 7's 518ppi resolution or the Oculus Rift's 461ppi display.