(iTers News) - LTPS, or low temperature poly silicon TFT panels are back in the race. As screen resolutions of smartphones are getting as high as full HD and ultra HD, demand for  LTPS panels are soaring. The proliferation of bezel-less and curved smart phones like Galaxy 6 edge is also spurring the demand.

According to market research firm Display Search, 129.2 million small and medium sized LTPS TFT-LCD panels were shipped in the first quarter of 2915, representing 22% of the small and medium size active matrix display market, up from the 18.8% share in the same quarter of 2014

Compared with amorphous silicon, or a-Si TFT LCD panels, the LTPS TFT panel boasts faster electron mobility, allowing TFT-LCD panel makers to pack more of pixels, or transistors into a given panel space without compromising power consumption The more number of pixels translate higher resolution.

The LTPS TFT-LCD backplane, as the matrix of rows and columns of transistors on  a glass substrate is called, also allows panel makers to directly fabricate LCD driver ICs on the backplane itself. The integration of LCD driver ICs enables them to produce bezel-less LCD panels.

On the contrary, the amorphous silicon-based TFT-LCD panels are usually built with  rows and columns of separate LCD driver ICs that are seated on a circuit board.

LCD driver ICs are a sort of chips that apply voltages to thin film transistors and then input and render still and video images on a screen.       

To take advantage of the technology merits and cash in on the booming demand,  according to Display Search, TFT-LCD panel makers are building more of LTPS LCD capacity.

New LTPS TFT LCD fabs will be even coming online in 2016 and 2017, especially in China and Japan, the market research firm predicted

For example, BOE of China will expand its capacity at its Gen 5.5 LTPS TFT LCD Ordos fab in China, while JDI, or Japan Display Inc. plans to ramp up capacity at its Gen 6 and Gen 4 LTPS TFT LCD Mobara fab in Japan. LG Display will ramp up capacity at its Gen 4 LTPS TFT LCD Paju AP2 fab and Gen 6 LTPS TFT LCD Kumi P6 fab both in Korea.

Tianma plans to is increase capacity at its Gen 5.5 LTPS TFT LCD Xiamen fab in China

Between 2016 and 2017, eight new LTPS TFT LCD fabs will ramp up worldwide. They include BOE Gen 6, China Star Gen 6,  Tianma Gen 5.5 and Gen 6, AUO Gen 6, Foxconn Gen 6, and JDI new Gen 6 LTPS  fabs.  

LTPS technology will have a dominant position in smartphone displays and some tablet PCs. Furthermore, Chinese panel makers are developing LTPS for 10”+ large-area applications.