The alignment of the liquid-crystal molecules in a pre-determined direction is vital for the image performance of any LCD – that is, the better the alignment of the molecules, the greater the light transmission and static contrast of the panel.

Also, controlling the movement of the liquid crystals and their alignment is crucial for wide-viewing angles.

Sharp Microelectronics Europe said in a statement that, making use of ultraviolet exposure, the UV2A photo alignment technology makes possible an increase of light transmission by over 20% as well as a static contrast of 5000:1.

Sharp says its new technology enables an ultraviolet-induced, multi-domain vertical alignment of liquid-crystal molecules. The technique is based on combining proprietary materials – developed by the company – with processing technologies and UV exposure equipment.

Both the UV2A technology and proprietary Advanced Super View (ASV) create a complex structure on the panel glass, bringing about the alignment of the liquid-crystal molecules.

With the UV2A technology, the microstructure comes from a special polymer film (or, the alignment layer) that the panel-glass is coated with, according to the statement from Sharp Microelectronics Europe.

The high-precision alignment avoids leakage of light from the backlight almost totally, thereby enhancing the static contrast ratio to 5000:1 and, in turn, enabling display of extremely deep blacks.

In addition, the UV2A technology gives the LCD panel higher aperture ratios – thereby intensifying the light transmission by over 20 per cent. This results in better use of light from the backlight, making it possible to save energy even while displaying bright and vivid colours.