HP and ASU flexible electrophoretic display fabricated using imprint lithography

HP and the Flexible Display Center (FDC) at Arizona State University (ASU) have demonstrated a protoype flexible display fabricated using HP’s self-aligned imprint lithography (SAIL). SAIL (3D resist mask on a multi-layer stack and several consecutive etching steps) enables the patterning of multiple layers without alignment issues in a roll-to-roll process.

The first practical demonstration of [...]

Photonic-crystal full-colour displays

According to the NewScientist, full-colour photonic crystal displays could be on the market within two years. A team of Canadian researchers have developed a reflective display based on silica microspheres which can produce the whole visible spectrum without the need for colour filters.

The researchers stretch the crystals by bonding them to an electroactive polymer that [...]

Colloidal photonic crystals for displays?

The NewScientist is reporting on colloidal photonic crystals consisting of dispersions of magnetic iron oxide particles with a charged surface coating, developed by Yadong Yin and colleagues at the Department of Chemistry at University of California, Riverside.
The charged particles repel each other but their packing can be influenced by applying a magnetic field. [...]

E Ink Vizplex: faster & brighter

E Ink announced the launch of a faster a brighter version of its electrophoretic display medium:

Previous Generation Imaging Film
Vizplex Imaging Film

Typical Switch Speed

1200 ms

740 ms

Peak Switch Speed (monochrome)

500 ms

260 ms

Brightness (typical reflectance)

32-35%

40%

Supported Grayscale Levels

4 levels (2-bit)

8 levels (3-bit)

Further:

E Ink and PrimeView International (PVI), the pioneer and currently the world’s sole active matrix EPD maker, jointly [...]

Polymer Vision and Innos to start production of rollable displays in 2007

Polymer Vision (Eindhoven, NL) has announced its cooperation with Innos (Southampton, UK) to manufacture rollable displays:

Following 10 years of research, Polymer Vision has spent the past three years processing displays in its own pilot facility in Eindhoven to develop the technology to maturity. Polymer Vision and Innos will together transfer the process technology and finalise [...]

Polymer Vision secures €21 million, announces spin-out from Philips

Polymer Vision, who presented the first functional device with a rollable display at IFA 2005, have announced their spin-out from Philips:

Philips™ Incubator activity Polymer Vision will become an independent company – Polymer Vision Ltd., focusing on products for the rollable display market. Technology Capital has invested €21 million in the company and will become the [...]

Plastic Logic raises $100 million for manufacturing facility in Dresden

Plastic Logic announced that it has raised $100 million to build a factory for flexible active matrix display modules in Dresden (Germany).

To fund this comprehensive commercialization program, Plastic Logic has completed a first closing of $100 million of equity finance led by Oak Investment Partners and Tudor Investment Corporation. Existing investors Amadeus, which led the [...]

Motorola mobile phone with e-ink display

Motorola has started selling the low-cost ‘MOTOFONE’ in India. It is the first mobile phone to feature an electrophoretic (in this case supplied by e-ink) display. It appears to be a segmented (passive matrix) display, reminiscent of LCD displays on calculators and watches.

Payment card with electronic paper display

Gizmag is reporting on SiPix and SmartDisplayer’s recently announced payment card with a flexible electrophoretic display, which

enables cardholders to generate and display a dynamic passcode for one-time use.

The application subsequently landed the companies the Display Application of the Year Award from the Society for Information Display (SID). [...]
SiPix Microcup Electronic Paper is the key [...]

Plastic Logic in talks with Amazon

The Cambridge Evening News is reporting that

Amazon, the world’s biggest bookseller, is in talks with Cambridge company, Plastic Logic, about the end of books as we know them. [...]
News of the Amazon/Plastic Logic link was given to a Cambridge audience on Thursday night when Hermann Hauser delivered the RSA Lecture at Magdalene College. [...]
“The reason [...]

Organic electronics market forecasts

NanoMarkets predictions for the OLED and e-paper, smart packaging, and thin-film photovoltaics industries:

Markets for OLED and Paper-Like Displays to Total $10.2 Billion by 2011:

combined sales of OLED displays and paper-like displays will reach $10.2 billion by 2011 and then go on to reach $14.7 billion by 2013.
shelf-edge displays will be the biggest opportunity for the [...]

e-newspaper

The New York times has an article (free registration required) on newspapers going electronic. The Belgian newspaper “De Tijd” is currently running a trial (Mobile Read article) with the iRex iLiad Reader. [via Engadget]

Liquavista electrowetting display

A while ago a group at Philips research presented (’Video-speed electronic paper based on electrowetting‘, Nature Vol. 425, pp. 383-385, 25 September 2003; link to pdf reprint) a novel display type based on [...]

Quantum (electronic) Paper

Quantum Paper Inc. (nothing on their website yet) appears to be a relatively new player in the electronic paper business.

According to PrintWeek, the company claims it has created the “first production quantities”:

The US firm said its paper features an electronic display that can be printed on ordinary paper, board or plastic. [...]
President Michael Feldman said: [...]

Princeton University awarded USDC contract to develop a-Si TFTs on polymer foil

The Princeton Institute for the Science and Technology of Materials (PRISM) has been awarded a $1.7M R&D contract by the U.S. Display Consortium (USDC)

to develop the process technology and know-how to produce amorphous silicon thin film transistors (a-Si TFTs) on a clear, high temperature-capable polymer foil substrate.

[...] organic substrates cannot withstand typical TFT semiconductor on [...]