computer with three display screens made in china

One of today’s modern technological wonders is the flat-panel liquid crystal display (LCD) screen, which is the key component we find inside televisions, computer monitors, smartphones, and an ever-proliferating range of gadgets that display information electronically.What most people don’t realize is how complex and sophisticated the manufacturing process is. The entire world’s supply is made within two time zones in East Asia. Unless, of course, the factory proposed by Foxconn for Wisconsin actually gets built.

Liquid crystal display (LCD) screens are manufactured by assembling a sandwich of two thin sheets of glass.On one of the sheets are transistor “cells” formed by first depositing a layer of indium tin oxide (ITO), an unusual metal alloy that you can actually see through.That’s how you can get electrical signals to the middle of a screen.Then you deposit a layer of silicon, followed by a process that builds millions of precisely shaped transistor parts.This patterning step is repeated to build up tiny little cells, one for each dot (known as a pixel) on the screen.Each step has to be precisely aligned to the previous one within a few microns.Remember, the average human hair is 40 microns in diameter.

On the other sheet of glass, you make an array of millions of red, green, and blue dots in a black matrix, called a color filter array (CFA).This is how you produce the colors when you shine light through it.Then you drop tiny amounts of liquid crystal material into the cells on the first sheet and glue the two sheets together.You have to align the two sheets so the colored dots sit right on top of the cells, and you can’t be off by more than a few microns in each direction anywhere on the sheet.The sandwich is next covered with special sheets of polarizing film, and the sheets are cut into individual “panels” – a term that is used to describe the subassembly that actually goes into a TV.

For the sake of efficiency, you would like to make as many panels on a sheet as possible, within the practical limitations of how big a sheet you can handle at a time.The first modern LCD Fabs built in the early 1990s made sheets the size of a single notebook computer screen, and the size grew over time. A Gen 5 sheet, from around 2003, is 1100 x 1300 mm, while a Gen 10.5 sheet is 2940 x 3370 mm (9.6 x 11 ft).The sheets of glass are only 0.5 - 0.7 mm thick or sometimes even thinner, so as you can imagine they are extremely fragile and can really only be handled by robots.The Hefei Gen 10.5 fab is designed to produce the panels for either eight 65 inch or six 75 inch TVs on a single mother glass.If you wanted to make 110 inch TVs, you could make two of them at a time.

The fab is enormous, 1.3 km from one end to the other, divided into three large buildings connected by bridges.LCD fabs are multi-story affairs.The main equipment floor is sandwiched between a ground floor that is filled with chemical pipelines, power distribution, and air handling equipment, and a third floor that also has a lot of air handling and other mechanical equipment.The main equipment floor has to provide a very stable environment with no vibrations, so an LCD fab typically uses far more structural steel in its construction than a typical skyscraper.I visited a Gen 5 fab in Taiwan in 2003, and the plant manager there told me they used three times as much structural steel as Taipei 101, which was the world’s tallest building from 2004- 2010.Since the equipment floor is usually one or two stories up, there are large loading docks on the outside of the building.When they bring the manufacturing equipment in, they load it onto a platform and hoist it with a crane on the outside of the building.That’s one way to recognize an LCD fab from the outside – loading docks on high floors that just open to the outdoors.

LCD fabs have to maintain strict standards of cleanliness inside.Any dust particles in the air could cause defects in the finished displays – tiny dark spots or uneven intensities on your screen.That means the air is passed through elaborate filtration systems and pushed downwards from the ceiling constantly.Workers have to wear special clean room protective clothing and scrub before entering to minimize dust particles or other contamination.People are the largest source of particles, from shedding dead skin cells, dust from cosmetic powders, or smoke particles exhaled from the lungs of workers who smoke.Clean rooms are rated by the number of particles per cubic meter of air.A class 100 cleanroom has less than 100 particles less than 0.3 microns in diameter per cubic meter of air, Class 10 has less than 10 particles, and so on. Fab 9 has hundeds of thousands of square meters of Class 100 cleanroom, and many critical areas like photolithography are Class 10.In comparison, the air in Harvard Square in Cambridge, MA is roughly Class 8,000,000, and probably gets substantially worse when an MBTA bus passes through.

Since most display manufacturing has to be done in a cleanroom and handling the glass requires such precision, the factory is heavily automated.As you watch the glass come in, it is placed into giant cassettes by robot handlers, and the cassettes are moved around throughout the factory.At each step, robots lift a piece of glass out of the cassette, and position it for the processing machines.Some of the machines, like the ones that deposit silicon or ITO, orient the glass vertically, and put them inside an enormous vacuum chamber where all the air is first pumped out before they can go to work.And then they somehow manage to deposit micrometer thin layers that are extremely uniform.It is a miracle that any of this stuff actually works.

In recent time, China domestic companies like BOE have overtaken LCD manufacturers from Korea and Japan. For the first three quarters of 2020, China LCD companies shipped 97.01 million square meters TFT LCD. And China"s LCD display manufacturers expect to grab 70% global LCD panel shipments very soon.

BOE started LCD manufacturing in 1994, and has grown into the largest LCD manufacturers in the world. Who has the 1st generation 10.5 TFT LCD production line. BOE"s LCD products are widely used in areas like TV, monitor, mobile phone, laptop computer etc.

TianMa Microelectronics is a professional LCD and LCM manufacturer. The company owns generation 4.5 TFT LCD production lines, mainly focuses on making medium to small size LCD product. TianMa works on consult, design and manufacturing of LCD display. Its LCDs are used in medical, instrument, telecommunication and auto industries.

TCL CSOT (TCL China Star Optoelectronics Technology Co., Ltd), established in November, 2009. TCL has six LCD panel production lines commissioned, providing panels and modules for TV and mobile products. The products range from large, small & medium display panel and touch modules.

Everdisplay Optronics (Shanghai) Co.,Ltd.(EDO) is a company dedicated to production of small-to-medium AMOLED display and research of next generation technology. The company currently has generation 4.5 OLED line.

Established in 1996, Topway is a high-tech enterprise specializing in the design and manufacturing of industrial LCD module. Topway"s TFT LCD displays are known worldwide for their flexible use, reliable quality and reliable support. More than 20 years expertise coupled with longevity of LCD modules make Topway a trustworthy partner for decades. CMRC (market research institution belonged to Statistics China before) named Topway one of the top 10 LCD manufactures in China.

Founded in 2006, K&D Technology makes TFT-LCM, touch screen, finger print recognition and backlight. Its products are used in smart phone, tablet computer, laptop computer and so on.

Established in 2013, Eternal Material Technology is committed to the research, development and manufacturing of electronic materials and providing technical services. EMT is leading the industry with its products of OLED and color photoresist materials.

The Company engages in the R&D, manufacturing, and sale of LCD panels. It offers LCD panels for notebook computers, desktop computer monitors, LCD TV sets, vehicle-mounted IPC, consumer electronics products, mobile devices, tablet PCs, desktop PCs, and industrial displays.

Founded in 2008，Yunnan OLiGHTEK Opto-Electronic Technology Co.,Ltd. dedicated themselves to developing high definition AMOLED (Active Matrix-Organic Light Emitting Diode) technology and micro-displays.

Based in South Korea, Samsung has become one of the world"s leading electronic brands, and its main competitor is LG. Their lineup includes some monitors with IPS panels, but many have VA panels with a curved screen. Although VA panels look great in dark rooms, the main downside is that they have narrow viewing angles, which isn"t ideal for sharing your screen with others. They"ve even started including Mini LED backlighting on high-end models, further improving the picture quality, peak brightness, and dark room performance. It helps that Samsung already produces TVs with this Mini LED technology, so they"ve become an industry leader for monitors with it.

Samsung offers the best features and performance with their high-end models like the Samsung LS32BG852NNXGO, known as the Neo G8, and lower-end models tend to sacrifice features and performance for a lower cost. For example, the Samsung Odyssey Neo G7 S32BG75 is a step down from the Neo G8 and costs less, but it has a lower 165Hz refresh rate compared to 240Hz on the Neo G8. It means that Samsung"s best options are their high-end ones, as their budget displays, like the Samsung Odyssey G3 S24AG30, have limited performance.

A close look at the video input interfaces used in LCD monitors. With the emergence of a new generation of interfaces, growing numbers of LCD monitors feature multiple and different interfaces. Image quality and ease of use are likely to depend on how well the user knows and uses the unique characteristics of each interface when connecting the appropriate devices.

Note: Below is the translation from the Japanese of the "IT Media LCD Display Course II, Part 2," published on December 16, 2008. Copyright 2011 ITmedia Inc. Information about Mini DisplayPort was added to the English translation.

The interfaces for LCD monitors designed for use with PCs can be grouped into two categories: analog interfaces, carryovers from the days of CRT monitors, and the digital interfaces developed more recently. An analog interface involves the additional steps of conversion of digital signals within the PC to analog signals for output and the conversion of these analog signals back into digital form by the LCD monitor receiving the signal. This series of actions can degrade image quality. (Image quality also depends on the quality of the route used in converting from analog to digital.) A digital interface offers superior image quality, since it transmits digital signals without conversion or modification.

LCD-monitor interfaces also can be grouped by differences in the devices connected. Major categories here are inputs from PCs and inputs from audio-video (AV) devices. PC input generally involves one of the following five interface types: D-Sub for analog connections; DVI-D for digital connections; DVI-I, which is compatible with both analog and digital connections; and HDMI and DisplayPort, representing the new generation of interfaces for digital connections. Other more recent adapters input and output PC RGB signals and LCD monitors using USB as a video input interface.

The main AV input interfaces are composite video, S-Video, component video, D1 – 5, and HDMI. All of these other than the new HDMI standard use analog connections. As with PC input, a digital HDMI connection generally provides better image quality for AV input than the various analog connection interfaces.

It"s worth noting that while HDMI was designed for use with AV input and output, the standard also supports PC input and output. LCD monitors incorporating HDMI ports include some that support PC input officially and others that—whether or not they can display PC input—do not support PC input officially.

Known officially as D-Sub miniature, D-Sub is not exclusive to display use. It"s also used for serial-port, parallel-port, SCSI, and other connectors, with the number of connector pins depending on the purpose of use. However, these connector standards are rarely if ever found in PCs now for general-purpose personal use, most such applications having migrated to USB.

When used as a monitor interface, a D-Sub port is also known as a VGA port, an analog connection standard that"s been around for some time. The connector is a DE-15 connector with 15 pins in three rows, often referred to as a "mini-D-Sub 15-pin" or "D-Sub 15-pin" connector. (Some connectors omit unused pins.) D-Sub is currently the most widely used monitor interface, compatible with very large numbers of PCs and LCD monitors.

The Digital Visual Interface (DVI) standard uses one of three types of connectors: DVI-D for digital connection; DVI-A for analog connection; and DVI-I, compatible with both digital and analog connections. The DVI-A connector for analog use is not in general use and can be disregarded when choosing monitor products.

Keep in mind that there are two types of mainstream DVI-D digital connections: single link and dual link. For a single-link DVI-D connection, the maximum resolution that can be displayed is 1920 × 1200 pixels (WUXGA). Higher resolutions (such as 2560 × 1600 pixels) require a dual-link DVI-D connection providing double the bandwidth of a single-link DVI-D (7.4 Gb/second or higher). To use a dual-link DVI-D connection, the DVI-D input on the LCD monitor side, the DVI-D output on the PC side, and the DVI-D cable must all be compatible with the dual-link DVI-D standard.

DVI-I, the other DVI standard, can be used with both digital and analog connections, depending on the monitor cable used. Since a DVI-I analog signal is compatible with the D-Sub standard, an analog connection can be formed by using a monitor cable with a D-Sub connector on one end and a DVI-I connector on the other. Depending on the cable and the connectors on the PC side and on the LCD-monitor side, it may also be possible to use an adapter for connecting a DVI-I connector with a D-Sub connector.

A DVI-D female connector installed on the monitor side (photo at left) and a DVI-D single-link (18-pin) male connector installed on the cable (center photo). As with D-Sub cables, a DVI-D cable can be secured into place by turning the screws on either end of the connector (photo at right).

Monitor cables with DVI-I connectors on both ends were available at one time. These are rare today, since this configuration made it difficult to determine whether the connection was digital or analog and generated frequent connection issues. Having DVI-I connectors on both the PC side and the LCD monitor side can lead to confusion. In such cases, the ideal configuration is a digital connection made with a DVI-D cable.

As the latest digital interfaces, the High-Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), DisplayPort, and Mini DisplayPort have attracted considerable attention. All standards offer the capacity to transfer both audio and video signals digitally using a single cable; all offer easy cable attachment and removal.

The shapes of HDMI, DisplayPort, and Mini DisplayPort connectors resemble that of a USB series-A connector (on the side of the USB host, such as a PC). The connectors lack screws, allowing the cables to be readily inserted and removed. (The disadvantage: This makes it easier to dislodge a cable connection if a hand or foot catches on the cable.)

At left is an HDMI (type A) female connector; in the middle is a DisplayPort female connector; at right is a Mini DisplayPort female connector. The HDMI connector has 19 pins. The DisplayPort and Mini DisplayPort connectors have 20 pins and an asymmetrical (left to right) connector. (The HDMI standard also defines a 29-pin type-B connector compatible with resolutions exceeding 1080p.)

The HDMI, DisplayPort, and Mini DisplayPort standards also are compatible with the High-Bandwidth Digital Content Protection System (HDCP). A technology intended to protect copyright on digital content, HDCP allows authorization of both output and input devices before video is displayed.

Another feature is that HDMI, DisplayPort, and Mini DisplayPort video signals can be converted back and forth with the DVI-D standard, a PC digital interface. Using the appropriate conversion adapter or cable, we can output video from a DVI-D, HDMI, DisplayPort, and Mini DisplayPort connector and input to any of these options. Currently, however, this implementation appears to be imperfect: In certain cases, input and output devices are not completely compatible (i.e., video does not display).

While HDMI, DisplayPort, and Mini DisplayPort each can transmit both audio and video using a single cable, DVI-D can transmit only video and requires separate input/output ports and cables for audio. For this reason, when converting between the DVI-D and HDMI, DisplayPort or Mini DisplayPort standards, only video can be transmitted over a single cable. (Some products can transmit audio from the DVI side via a conversion adapter.)

Since HDMI versions are backward compatible, we can still input and output video and audio if the output side is compatible with version 1.3 or above and the input side with version 1.2a or below. However, if the output device uses functions implemented in version 1.3 or higher, these functions will be canceled on input devices that comply with version 1.2a or earlier.

Formally approved in May 2006, the DisplayPort standard is a new standard released in May 2005 by the Video Electronics Standards Association (VESA) of the United States, an industry organization that establishes standards for PC-related interfaces. As a video interface promoted by VESA, a constituency composed mainly of PC and monitor makers, it is designed to succeed the DVI and D-Sub standards as a PC interface. However, there"s no reason it can"t also be used in AV equipment.

DisplayPort female (photo at left) and male (center photo) connectors. Although a DisplayPort cable resembles an HDMI cable, it has two hooks at the top of the connector to make it harder to disconnect accidentally (photo at right).

With a maximum transmission speed of 10.8 Gbps, compatibility with resolutions of up to 2560 × 2048 pixels or higher, color depth of 48 bits (16 bits per RGB color), and a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz (120 fps), its basic video interface specs are close to those of HDMI. However, unlike HDMI, which transmits data for RGB video signals and clock signals separately, it sends all video and audio to the destination device through a serial connection, split into micro-packets called transfer units.

Since DisplayPort is a serial interface like PCI Express that generates a clock from the data instead of using external clock signals, data transmission speeds and functionality are easily improved. In addition, since DisplayPort employs a configuration wherein the LCD monitor is operated directly, it makes it possible to reduce the numbers of components. Another benefit is its ability to transmit signals over distances of up to 15 meters.

In the DisplayPort standard, the output side is defined as the source device and the input side as the sync device. Under this configuration, the source and sync devices communicate with each other, making it possible to automatically adjust transmission to the optimal resolution, color depth, and refresh rate. Audio and video data can be transmitted through a combination of single, double, or quadruple channels called lanes, and two data rates (1.62 Gbps and 2.7 Gbps). The minimum configuration is a single lane at 1.62 Gbps; the maximum is four lanes at 2.7 Gbps each for a total of 10.8 Gbps.

The audio formats supported and other attributes are important elements of sync devices. For audio, compatibility with 16-bit linear PCM (32/44.1/48 kHz) is required. Other formats are optional. Still, the standard is compatible with formats up to high-definition audio such as Dolby TrueHD and DTS HD. For color information, compatibility with RGB, YCbCr (4:2:2), and YCbCr (4:4:4) is a requirement.

One major difference apparent when we compare HDMI and DisplayPort is the presence or absence of licensing fees. Implementing HDMI in a product requires manufacturers to pay a licensing fee of $10,000/year, while HDCP implementation requires a separate licensing fee of $15,000/year. These licensing fees entail significant costs for manufacturers. When product pricing reflects these costs, they can impact ordinary users to a greater or lesser degree. A more familiar example is the HDMI cable, which is also subject to a licensing fee, making it more expensive than other AV cables. (Note that the licensing fee is not the sole cause of higher prices; quality requirements and other factors also drive up prices.)

DisplayPort requires no licensing fees other than that for HDCP, making it more attractive and easier for manufacturers to adopt. Progress in mass production will likely lead to price advantages for ordinary users as well. Still, HDMI is clearly the current mainstream digital interface for products like AV equipment and videogame consoles. DisplayPort, even if standardized under the leadership of PC makers, is unlikely to take its place. With growing support for DisplayPort among vendors of graphics chips for use in PC environments and growing numbers of compatible products, including the MacBook, use of DisplayPort is projected to expand.

Let"s discuss video input interfaces, starting with the D-Terminal and component video standards. The video signals themselves are identical for both of these. The video signal is composed of the following three signal types: the Y brightness/synchronization signal; the Pb (Cb) signal for the difference between blue and Y; and the Pr (Cr) signal carrying the difference between red and Y. Altogether, these are referred to as a component video signal. A characteristic of this technology is its ability to input and output high-quality analog video signals by omitting the process of video-signal separation and combination.

A component video port has separate connectors for each of the three video-signal types: A green connector for the Y signal, a blue connector for the Pb (Cb) signal, and a red connector for the Pr (Cr) signal. In most cases, the compatible video formats are 480i, 480p, 720p, and 1080i, with connectors labeled Y, Cb, and Cr compatible with 480i video and connectors labeled Y, Pb, and Pr with higher-quality video formats.

While component video ports offer higher quality and greater benefits than most other types of analog video input, they also entail inconveniences, including more troublesome connections (since they use three connectors) and greater space requirements on devices equipped with such ports. Additionally, they are incapable of transmitting control signals. In Japan, the D-Terminal standard, formulated by the Japan Electronics and Information Technology Industries Association (JEITA, known at the time as the Electronic Industry Association of Japan, or EIAJ), which features its own improvements on these points, has entered widespread use.

A D-Terminal connector combines the three types of component video signals into a single cable and is easier to connect. It also embeds a control signal to identify scanning lines, scanning method, and aspect ratio. (In passing, it"s called a D-Terminal only because its connector is shaped like the letter "D"; the "D" does not mean "digital." Signals flowing through the D-Terminal and the connecting cable are analog.) The table below gives the types of D-Terminals (D1 – 5) and corresponding video formats. While many products feature D5 terminals, which are compatible with 1080p video, this is not specified in the official JEITA standard.

Comparisons of picture quality between component video and D-Terminal standards show that component video, with its three separate connectors, offers higher picture quality, due to structural characteristics of the cable and connector. Many believe this difference becomes even more marked with longer cables.

On an RCA connector with three single pins in a row, the yellow pin is the composite female connector (photo at left). Most composite cables assume the form of a single cable that splits into three connectors, with the yellow connector used for video and the red and white for stereo audio (center photo). An S-Video female connector (photo at right), which has four pins.

Additionally, there are two types of S-Video ports: S1, which can identify video with aspect ratios of 4:3 and 16:9; and S2, which can identify "letterbox" video with black bands above and below, to display 16:9 aspect-ratio video on 4:3 aspect-ratio monitors. A display device receiving video with a 16:9 aspect ratio or letterbox video performs the appropriate scaling to display the correct aspect ratio.

Let"s conclude by returning to the subject of PC environments. Some recent products use USB ports for PC display output. While USB was not originally intended as a display interface, demand has emerged for an easier way (easier than using a D-Sub cable) to set up multi-monitor environments, particularly for laptops and low-priced netbooks.

Most such products are adapters, which connect to the PC using USB and feature DVI-D or DVI-I connectors on the output side. These are then connected to LCD monitors. After the user installs a device driver, the PC recognizes the adapter as a monitor adapter. Users can create a multi-monitor environment in Windows by activating the secondary monitor connected to the adapter in Display Properties. In terms of display performance, these adapters are not well suited to uses that require high-speed response; they are associated with slight delays in reflecting mouse or keyboard operations.

A small number of LCD monitors on the market use USB as a video input interface, making it possible to output and display a PC screen through a USB connection between the PC and the LCD display. These, too, are ideal for laptops and netbooks, since they allow users to use laptops connected to large-screen LCD monitors at their office desks or at home, then use the laptops for mobile use when out and about simply by unplugging a single USB cable.

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