Hermann (handlanger van Tom 
) heeft (part I) van z'n Flat Panel Display guide online gezet. Mocht je om wat voor reden dan ook in de markt zijn voor een LCD schermpje, dan is dit wellicht handig leesvoer. Hier een stukje over de oorzaak van de hoge prijzen voor flat panels:
The construction and manufacturing of active matrix TFTs is just as complicated as the way in which they work. Many different materials and very thin layers of glass are used, and that on a diagonal surface of up to 30 inch! The rejection rates for production are correspondingly high. Extremely thin transistors are applied to the devices which control its color display elements during later operation. Above all, the spacing between the layers must be absolutely correct. As in the wafer and chip manufacturing business, the production of TFTs is related to a specific yield. Although manufacturers have very different opinions on this topic, it remains a fact that smaller models are easier to manufacture and their rejection rate is lower. The manufacturers are therefore all confronted with the common problem of either producing larger TFTs for flat panel displays or smaller ones for notebooks and other application fields. Larger models mean higher profits but at the price of lower yields whereas the quantities for notebooks are much higher, with a higher yield.
