Breakthrough on Electronic Paper Displays Based on Electro-wetting Technology Research at EPDI of South China Normal University in Guangzhou, China

The breakthroughs that were achieved in the development phase comprise the achievement of an unparalleled switching speed in an electrowetting display: both switch-on and switch-off times were reliably below 3 ms, which is faster than typical LCD. Also, robustness of the display was assured by a successful implementation of a proprietary spacer-ing method. Finally, significant steps were made towards operating the display at voltages similar to LCD and power levels (typically 100 nW/cm squared) significantly below those of LCD.

According to Professor Zhou, these breakthroughs will lead to wearable devices with large displays, without the necessity of frequent charging. "We will finally see a digital watch with an always-on display," he said.

The team has already shown good results in colorful active matrix displays, as single- or multi-color devices, with excellent brightness and contrast. They expect to be able to finalize the developments during the next 6 months and start shipping samples to interested customers this summer.

According to Professor Alex Henzen, team director of the EPDI team and technical leader on e-paper, the team is ready to make the next step in the development cycle and will begin industrialization on the Gen 2.5 prototype line. The line is set up to be capable of producing 30,000 substrates of 400 x 500 mm per month.

The Institute of Electronic Paper Displays at South China Academy of Advanced Optoelectronics of South China Normal University was founded in 2012 by a group of original core members of the Philips e-paper display research and development team. The Institute mainly focuses on the research, development and industrialization of green optoelectronic technologies, particularly electronic paper displays with color and video capability as major challenges. Since the grant of National Research and Development Program of China (No.2016YFB0401500), the institute, jointly with 12 other institutes, has sped up innovation and made significant progress in the past year. More than 100 patents have been created so far and new products are developed through cooperation with the startup company of the team and SCNU.

SOURCE Electronic Paper Display Institute, South China Normal University