LCOS vs. DLP, What's the difference?

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LCOS and DLP are both display technologies, of which DLP is the technology commonly used in home projectors today, while LCOS technology is not commonly used, but recently Xiaomi Full-color Laser Cinema Projector has used this technology. So what's the difference between LCOS and DLP?

1. DLP


The full name of DLP is Digital Light Processing, and the core component used in this technology is the DMD display chip, which allows the device to control the deflection of the lens to achieve the purpose of displaying images.

The core of the DLP technology system, the heart of the optical engine, is a digital micromirror chip formed by adding a rotating mechanism to a standard CMOS semiconductor that can be adjusted to change the angle of the reflective surface.

A DMD can be simply described as a semiconductor optical switch. Thousands of tiny square lenses are mounted on the deflection structure to form the DMD chip, with each lens measuring approximately 16x16um.

dlp technology.jpg

(from projectorcentral)

DLP technology advantages​


1. mechanical working method is used, with higher controllability of lens movement and higher native contrast.

2. The use of the principle of reflection, to achieve a high opening rate is simple, the optical circuit system is smaller, so that the machine is more compact.

3. Since the DMD chip uses a semiconductor structure, it is not susceptible to high temperatures, so it can be used to close the optical path and avoid the influence of dust.

2. LCOS


The full name of LCOS is Liquid Crystal On Silicon, the basic principle of the technology is more similar to LCD technology, but for the projection of light is controlled by using LCOS panels. Xiaomi Full-color Laser Cinema Projector uses this technology.

LCOS panel is a CMOS chip as the circuit substrate and reflective layer, liquid crystal is injected into the CMOS integrated circuit chip and the transparent glass substrate between the CMOS chip is ground and polished as a reflector, light through the glass substrate and liquid crystal material, reflected from the chip surface after dimming.

lcos technology.jpg

(from researchgate)

LCOS projector advantages​


1. LCOS uses silicon wafer CMOS substrate because the single crystal silicon substrate material has good electron mobility, easy to achieve high-resolution panels.

2. LCOS is reflective technology, so the optical rate can be increased up to 40%, which can reduce power consumption and produce higher brightness.

3. LCOS optical engines have low costs because of their simple parts.

3. What is the difference between LCOS and DLP?


Through the LCOS and DLP technology, the two for the light control of the way different, and each has different advantages, including DLP technology to project a more colorful and delicate picture, and LCOS technology to present a higher degree of picture reproduction

In terms of cost, the cost of LCOS will be lower, but the technology is not particularly mature, while DLP technology is more mature in comparison, and the space occupation rate of the optical path is smaller, which can effectively reduce the size of the device, convenient for users to carry and install the use.
 
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