Samsung Develops Super-Slim LCD PanelSamsung Develops Super-Slim LCD Panel

Samsung Electronics says it has developed a super-slim LCD panel that's about the thickness of a credit card.

The Korean consumer electronics maker says the mobile display is 0.07 millimeters thinner than the panel previously reported as the world's slimmest. The Samsung liquid crystal display is 0.82mm thick.

The company also has developed mobile technology, which it calls i-Lens, for integrating the panel assembly, including a protective layer, into a mobile device. The LCD module is more shock-resistant and easier to read than conventional technology, according to Samsung.

"Samsung's R&D initiatives, including LCD module thickness reduction and reinforced shock resistance, will enable our customers to develop truly differentiated and more reliable, ultra-thin mobile products," Yun Jin-hyuk, executive VP of Samsung's mobile display team, said in a statement released Tuesday.

The i-Lens technology lets cell-phone manufacturers trim 1.4mm to 2.4mm from the thickness of a phone. A typical handset screen leaves a 2-mm to 3-mm space above the LCD module before attaching a reinforced plastic sheet, Samsung said. With i-Lens, the protective sheet is fastened directly to the module. In addition, the technology eliminates the sunlight reflection problem inherent in the use of reinforced plastic.

Mass production of the new LCD screen is scheduled to begin in the second half of next year. The display is expected to be available in 2.1 inch- and 2.2 inch-diagonal screen sizes.