Samsung announced today that it has developed the thinnest reported LCD panel, one no thicker than a credit card at 0.82mm. The company also announced that it has developed a new mobile technology, which it is calling, "i-Lens", for integrating the entire panel assembly, including a protective layer, into a single, thinner module that will be more shock-resistant and easier to read than conventional panels.

Executive Vice President Yun Jin-hyuk, in charge of the Mobile Display Team within the Samsung Electronics LCD Business division, said," Samsung's R&D initiatives, including LCD module thickness reduction and reinforced shock resistance, will enable our customers to develop truly differentiated and more reliable, ultra-thin mobile products."

To achieve the slimmer package size, Samsung's Mobile Display Team redesigned the light guide plate subassembly and the glass substrate, which accounted for most of the LCD module's thickness. In deploying Samsung's i-Lens technology, Samsung plan to trim 1.4 to 2.4mm from the thickness of a mobile phone.

The new LCD screen is available in 2.1 inch-diagonal and 2.2-inch-diagonal screen sizes. It features qVGA (240 x 320 pixels) resolution, 300nit brightness and a 500:1 contrast ratio. Mass production is scheduled to begin in the second half of 2007.

You can also read here for the recent announcement from Toshiba for a slim display screen