About Flexible E-Paper
flexible e-paper display
After the LCD, Plasma and LED displays, we have reached in the era of flexible and bendable displays. It is in this display technology, you can bend the screen as your wish. Of course, you can roll up and twist the hair-thin displays without losing the picture quality. Amazingly, these flexible new generation displays offer the same resolution and clarity of your computer and Smartphone displays. Several technology makers have recently brought out some units of the special ultra-thin displays. You can use them in certain applications such as e-reading and advertising. Imagine an e-paper with the flexible display that updates the news via Internet connectivity. You can go through the news items as you do it with a newspaper.Trends
1. AUO e-paper
AUO flexible e-paper
AU Optronics (AUO) sprung up with a range of e-papers demonstrations a couple of years back. The idea was to build up 20-inch and 3-inch flexible e-papers. The company showcased its e-paper display samples at FPD International 2009, Yokohama in Japan. The 6-inch e-paper from AUO comes with a contrast ratio of 9:1. That means it will have better clarity than Amazon Kindle’s display ratio of 7:1. As you can guess, e-paper displays will be great options for you to read newspapers, magazines and surf the books.
2. PowerFilm’s roll-to-roll flexible displays
roll-to-roll flexible electronic technology
PowerFilm is another innovator in flexible display technology. The Ames, Iowa-based technology manufacturer has developed a method to print roll-to-roll displays. The PowerFilm flexible display features an array of interconnected backplane transistors to realize the display. The roll-to-roll displays from PowerFilm can be printed so like the newspapers. The company was creating 13-inch wide and up to 2400 feet long strips of the flexible displays for various purposes.
3. LG Display’s flexible e-paper
LG flexible e-paper
LG has joined the flurry of e-paper displays with a 9.7-inch color and 19-inch bendable e-paper displays. The Korean company launched the flexible displays that can be used in e-readers like the Kindle and multimedia tablets. The LG flexible displays can be a great addition to the growing e-paper industry.
The Recent Revolution: Worlds First Flexible Plastic e-Paper Displays for e-Readers by LG
LG has officially begun the process of mass producing the world's first plastic electronic paper display (EPD) that is designed to be used in eBooks. LG's EPD measures 6 inches and offers a resolution of 1024x768. This display offers a paper-like reading experience on a plastic substrate that is as slim as cell phone protection film. The film is flexible and can be bent at a range of 40 degrees from the center of the screen. LG Display's plastic EPD is just 0.7mm thick, which is 1/3 slimmer than current glass EPDs. It weighs 14g, or about 0.49 ounces.
Soon you don't have to worry about breaking your new e-reader's display, as LG is now mass producing a flexible plastic version to replace the current glass-based e-paper.
LG Display said on Thursday that it has begun mass producing the "world's first" plastic electronic paper display (EPD) for use in e-readers. LG says its plastic solution should "revolutionize" the e-reader market, using e-ink and sporting a XGA (1024 x 768) resolution. The EPDs will first be supplied to ODM companies in China, followed by completed products to be released in Europe at the beginning of next month. So far there's no word of a North American release.
The new EPD is comprised of a plastic substrate as slim as cell phone protection film, measuring just 0.7-mm which is 1/3 slimmer than the current glass version. Its flexible design allows bending at a range of 40 degrees from the center of the screen. It's also half the weight of the glass version, measuring only 14g on the scale.
"E-Book users have long expressed a desire for more durable EPD, since around 10-percent of them have damaged their product screens from accidentally dropping or hitting them," LG said on Thursday. "When LG Display's plastic EPD was put through repeated drop tests, from 1.5-m above the ground or the average height of reading when standing, no damage resulted. When put through a break/scratch test involving hitting the display with a small urethane hammer, no scratches or breakage resulted."
The company said it developed a unique technique to utilize the high TFT process in the production of its plastic EPD, a process which is typically used in general LCD manufacturing and generates temperatures exceeding 350 degrees. LG didn't really explain how it overcame the obstacles associated with applying this process to heat susceptible plastic, but the company said it was able to maintain strong durability in high temperatures during mass production.
"With the world's first plastic EPD, LG Display has once again proven its reputation for leadership and innovation with a product we believe will help greatly popularize the E-Book market," said Mr. Sang Duck Yeo, Head of Operations for LG Display's Mobile/OLED division. "Based on our success in mass-producing plastic EPD, we are excited as we look toward applying concepts from this experience to future developments like plastic OLED and flexible displays."
There's no reason to assume this new e-paper and related products aren't coming to the States. It's just a matter of when, so stay tuned. Heck, we just might even see it in a new Kindle later this year.
Press release
LG Display Begins Mass Production of World’s First Plastic E-Paper DisplayWith advancements in functionality and design, Plastic EPD to revolutionize E-Book marketSeoul, Korea (March 29, 2012) – LG Display [NYSE: LPL, KRX: 034220], a leading manufacturer of thin-film transistor liquid crystal display, announced today that it has started mass production of the world’s first plastic electronic paper display (EPD) for use in E-Books. The 6″ XGA (1024×768), e-ink, plastic EPD is expected to revolutionize the E-Book market with its advancements in functionality and design.“With the world’s first plastic EPD, LG Display has once again proven its reputation for leadership and innovation with a product we believe will help greatly popularize the E-Book market,” said Mr. Sang Duck Yeo, Head of Operations for LG Display’s Mobile/OLED division. “Based on our success in mass-producing plastic EPD, we are excited as we look toward applying concepts from this experience to future developments like plastic OLED and flexible displays.”Innovations in Functionality and DesignThe world’s first plastic EPD from LG Display offers users a paper-like reading experience with a plastic substrate that is as slim as cell phone protection film, and a flexible design that allows bending at a range of 40 degrees from the center of the screen. Compared to glass EPD of the same size and resolution, LG Display’s plastic EPD realizes a super slim thickness of 0.7mm which is 1/3 slimmer than existing glass EPD; as well as a weight of 14g which is more than 1/2 lighter.E-Book users have long expressed a desire for more durable EPD, since around 10% of them have damaged their product screens from accidentally dropping or hitting them. When LG Display’s plastic EPD was put through repeated drop tests, from 1.5m above the ground or the average height of reading when standing, no damage resulted. When put through a break/scratch test involving hitting the display with a small urethane hammer, no scratches or breakage resulted.As EPD gets thinner, lighter, and more durable with the introduction of plastic EPD, E-Books will be able to offer certain unique benefits compared to smart devices and tablets, including reduced eye fatigue and more efficient electricity consumption in addition to lower prices.A Manufacturing BreakthroughLG Display developed a unique technique to utilize the high TFT process, typically employed in general LCD manufacturing and with temperatures exceeding 350 degrees, in the production of its plastic EPD. By overcoming the obstacles associated with applying the existing production process to heat susceptible plastic, LG Display achieved a breakthrough with the successful mass production of plastic EPD able to maintain strong durability in high temperatures.AvailabilityThe world’s first mass-produced plastic EPD from LG Display will first be supplied to ODM companies in China, followed by completed products to be released in Europe at the beginning of next month.
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