MWC: Qualcomm, LG partner for color MEMS displays

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Qualcomm’s Micro Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS) subsidiary inked a deal with consumer-electronics maker LG Electronics to begin developing color Mirasol-enabled handsets for commercial release within the year, marking the first big vendor win for the low-power-screen nano-technology. In addition, the MEMs division is showcasing its second and third Taiwanese-made mobile devices to feature black and white Mirasol screens at Mobile World Congress this week.

Mirasol displays put out significantly less power than traditional backlit LCD displays, extending battery life and enhancing visibility in any lighting condition. The technology works by reflecting sunlight on thousands of tiny mirrors and gates so that specific wavelengths interfere with each other to create color. The angle of the mirrors and width of the openings determine the color and depth of the individual pixels rendered. By using ambient light, the screens are visible across a broad range of lighting conditions and are enhanced--rather than faded--in direct sunlight. In no-light conditions, the MEMS screen has to resort to a backlight, but even in low-light conditions the only power consumed is that necessary to change the configuration of the mirrors. In the case of a static image, Mirasol drains no power at all, no matter how bright the image.

Because of the complexity of manufacturing MEMs screens, the mobile devices on the market to date have had small screens and limited functionality – and no color to speak of. At least year’s MWC, Qualcomm showed off its two-tone MEMs-equipped device, the Hisense C108. In May, Qualcomm forged a partnership with Foxlink to build a new fabrication plant in Taiwan to manufacture displays in volume. The plant is still not up and running, but is planned to go online in the second or third quarter of this year. Qualcomm already has deals in place with Prime View International for its two-toned Mirasol displays.

While both handsets on display at MWC still have smaller bichrome screens, Inventec Corporation is showcasing a smartphone with more functionality than typical MEMS devices. The Inventec V112 features a 1.1 inch bichrome Mirasol display as a secondary touch screen below the main touch-screen display. The device will be geared towards providing information on time, incoming and missed calls, email and SMS alerts, MP3 song titles and track ID information. The combination of the two screens will let consumers tap commands to communicate and interact with their MP3 libraries. The second, more basic device comes from Cal-Comp Electronics, a division of Taiwan’s Kinpo Electronics. The Cal-Comp iT-810 candy-bar phone has a 1.2-inch bichrome Mirasol display with a resolution of 130 ppi.

The cost of MEMS technology won’t come down until it sees more widespread integration, so it is in Qualcomm’s best interest to get its displays embedded in as many consumer devices as possible while also moving power away from the basic functions of the phone to the processor and radio. For the devices to be competitive with existing feature-packed smartphones on the market, color will become table stakes going forward.

Qualcomm has several relationships in place with various ODMs and handset manufacturers for 10 products, but none had been in the top tier like LG, according to Cheryl Schwarzman, Qualcomm’s director of marketing. The companies aren’t releasing details on the relationship, but she said to expect devices from LG to be in color and bigger than those screens traditionally associated with MEMS. In addition, all displays coming out of Foxlink will now also be in color not only for LG, but every manufacturer the company works with.

“Generally, most displays start out small and bichrome, and we’ve pretty much exhausted the bichrome,” Schwarzman said. “We won’t be making [bichrome displays] really anymore. It’s all about the color.”