Active-Matrix Displays Said To Be Industry’s Thinnest

Promises of thin, light and rugged displays for ultra-portable devices are being made for a new display technology. The new technology is said to yield flexible displays having a total thickness of just 0.3 mm. These active-matrix diplays are constructed by combining a thin, shatterproof steel foil transistor substrate with the company’s paper-like electronic ink display material coated onto a plastic face sheet. Steel foil was chosen as the transistor backplane material because of its overall performance from initial transistor processing through final display use. The result, the company says, is the thinnest, lightest and most rugged active-matrix graphical display ever demonstrated. Unlike other flexible or ultra-thin display technologies that use plastic substrates, specially processed glass, or organic transistors, this new backplane technology is based on readily available substrate materials and well-established semiconductor process technologies. The first prototypes of the new displays are targeted for use in card-sized mobile applications such as SmartCards and cell phones. The displays have a 1.6" diagonal screen size and a resolution of 100 x 80 pixels. Other prototypes are being readied for use in handheld devices, including PDAs, two-way pagers, and novel communication devices, such as mobile display appliances and handheld monitors that are peripheral to cell phones or other wireless servers. The 3.0" diagonal displays have a resolution of 240 x 160 pixels. The prototypes are also expected to enable new design freedom for device makers—such as curved surfaces and bendability—while providing end users with highly portable and rugged information appliances. The company plans to license this technology to display manufacturers. E INK CORP., Cambridge, MA. (617) 499-6000.