Display Technology Is the future
Flexible displays powered by plastic electronics are now commercially available and could see the development of a host of new and truly unique products, as Mike Banach explains to CIE
I
t wasn’t that long ago that your computer monitor took up your entire desk and moving it was definitely a two- man job. Flat panel displays (FPD) completely changed the market with lighter and thinner displays freeing up precious space on your office desk and in your home as monitors and televisions were streamlined.
The continued evolution of FPD technology subsequently enabled the ubiquitous rise of portable devices: mobile phones, PDAs, e-readers and now tablets. Whilst the functionality of these devices has changed dramatically over the years, the display itself has remained a rigid, rectangular component with several layers of glass. This brings us to the next disruptive revolution in display technology that is now underway: plastic displays. Plastic Logic recently announced that its
electrophoretic EPD-based plastic flexible displays are commercially available for product integration. This new generation of displays are slimmer, lighter and much more durable than their glass counterparts, with extremely low battery consumption. Since they can be fabricated in any shape and conformed to any surface they will enable truly unique product form factors.
Flexible displays
Flexible displays enabled by plastic electronics have caught the imagination of science fiction writers and product designers for decades, but it seemed that the technology could never transition past the prototype stage. This was primarily due to the challenges of carrying out precision
12 September 2012
engineering on plastic. The first obstacle lies in the mere handling of such thin plastic films through a multiple-stage fabrication process.
Whilst flexibility may be an attractive
product feature, it definitely represents a manufacturing headache. For example, a standard display in your e-reader device will have over 150 pixels in every square inch and its fabrication demands structuring to dimensions several times thinner than a standard sheet of paper. A thin plastic sheet simply does not have the same dimensional stability as a sheet of glass, which made it difficult to develop a consistent display making process. Temperature is another challenge. The traditional FPD fabrication process includes several bake steps at temperatures well over 300˚C. Standard engineering plastics are designed to melt at temperatures below 200˚C to make it viable to cast or mould them in their molten state. It is clear that innovative thinking and manufacturing methods were required to turn this from mere science fiction in to reality.
The presence of flexible displays on the technology roadmap of every major display maker means there are several tactics being explored to overcome these considerable challenges. Plastic Logic’s specific journey to developing a manufacturing process for flexible displays has run in parallel with and to a certain extent also been a driving force behind the development of the plastic electronics industry.
The foundation of this industry was Components in Electronics
www.cieonline.co.uk
motivated by the vision that a new class of plastic materials can perform the same semiconductor functions as silicon. For Plastic Logic replacing the active silicon component with a plastic has resulted in several advantages for the fabrication of flexible displays. It enables a much lower temperature profile during fabrication, which in turn allows us to use standard polyester films. Another benefit is the improved dimensional stability at lower processing temperatures. Finally, using the
plastic electronics approach has allowed us to not only remove the glass, but also several other brittle ceramic layers normally used in display fabrication. As yet, Plastic Logic is currently the only company worldwide with a process and volume manufacturing facility capable of reliably producing flexible plastic displays at yields comparable to that of the LCD industry. Nevertheless, market research companies recognise that this is indeed a market destined for considerable growth.
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44