Category Archives: Displays

A revolution is coming in flexible electronic technologies as cheaper, more flexible, organic transistors come on the scene to replace expensive, rigid, silicone-based semiconductors, but not enough is known about how bending in these new thin-film electronic devices will affect their performance, say materials scientists at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Writing in the current issue of Nature Communications, polymer scientists Alejandro Briseño and Alfred Crosby at UMass Amherst, with their doctoral student Marcos Reyes-Martinez, now a postdoctoral researcher at Princeton, report results of their recent investigation of how micro-scale wrinkling affects electrical performance in carbon-based, single-crystal semiconductors.

They are the first to apply inhomogeneous deformations, that is strain, to the conducting channel of an organic transistor and to understand the observed effects, says Reyes-Martinez, who conducted the series of experiments as part of his doctoral work.

As he explains, “This is relevant to today’s tech industry because transistors drive the logic of all the consumer electronics we use. In the screen on your smart phone, for example, every little pixel that makes up the image is turned on and off by hundreds of thousands or even millions of miniaturized transistors.”

“Traditionally, the transistors are rigid, made of an inorganic material such as silicon,” he adds. “We’re working with a crystalline semiconductor called rubrene, which is an organic, carbon-based material that has performance factors, such as charge-carrier mobility, surpassing those measured in amorphous silicon. Organic semiconductors are an interesting alternative to silicon because their properties can be tuned to make them easily processed, allowing them to coat a variety of surfaces, including soft substrates at relatively low temperatures. As a result, devices based on organic semiconductors are projected to be cheaper since they do not require high temperatures, clean rooms and expensive processing steps like silicon does.”

Until now, Reyes-Martinez notes, most researchers have focused on controlling the detrimental effects of mechanical deformation to a transistor’s electrical properties. But in their series of systematic experiments, the UMass Amherst team discovered that mechanical deformations only decrease performance under certain conditions, and actually can enhance or have no effect in other instances.

“Our goal was not only to show these effects, but to explain and understand them. What we’ve done is take advantage of the ordered structure of ultra-thin organic single crystals of rubrene to fabricate high-perfomance, thin-film transistors,” he says. “This is the first time that anyone has carried out detailed fundamental work at these length scales with a single crystal.”

Though single crystals were once thought to be too fragile for flexible applications, the UMass Amherst team found that crystals ranging in thickness from about 150 nanometers to 1 micrometer were thin enough to be wrinkled and applied to any elastomer substrate. Reyes-Martinez also notes, “Our experiments are especially important because they help scientists working on flexible electronic devices to determine performance limitations of new materials under extreme mechanical deformations, such as when electronic devices conform to skin.”

They developed an analytical model based on plate bending theory to quantify the different local strains imposed on the transistor structure by the wrinkle deformations. Using their model they are able to predict how different deformations modulate charge mobility, which no one had quantified before, Reyes-Martinez notes.

Schematic of wrinkled rubrene single-crystal field-effect transistor. Wrinkles are obtained when in-plane compressive strain is applied on the elastomeric substrate. Electric current between gold (Au) electrodes is modulated by the deformation imposed by the wrinkles. Credit: UMass Amherst

These contributions “represent a significant step forward in structure-function relationships in organic semiconductors, critical for the development of the next generation of flexible electronic devices,” the authors point out.

A new study coauthored by Wellesley economist, Professor Daniel E. Sichel, reveals that innovation in an important technology sector is happening faster than experts had previously thought, creating a backdrop for better economic times ahead.

The Producer Price Index (PPI) of the United States suggests that the prices of semiconductors have barely fallen in recent years. The slow decline in semiconductor prices stands in sharp contrast to the rapidly falling prices reported from the mid-1980s to the early 2000s, and has been interpreted as a signal of sluggish innovation in this key sector.

The apparent slowdown puzzled Sichel and his coauthors, David M. Byrne of the Federal Reserve Board, and Stephen D. Oliner, of the American Enterprise Institute and UCLA–particularly in light of evidence that the performance of microprocessor units (MPUs), which account for about half of U.S. semiconductor shipments, has continued to improve at rapid pace. After closely examining historical pricing data, the economists found that Intel, the leading producer of MPUs, dramatically changed the way it priced these chips in the mid-2000s–roughly the same time when the slowdown reported by government data occurs. Prior to this period, Intel typically lowered the list prices of older chips to remain competitive with newly introduced chips. However, after 2006, Intel began to keep chip prices relatively unchanged over their life cycle, which affected official statistics.

To obtain a more accurate assessment of the pace of innovation in this important sector, Sichel, Byrne, and Oliner developed an alternative method of measurement that evaluates changes in actual MPU performance to gauge the rate of improvement in price-performance ratios. The economists’ preferred index shows that quality-adjusted MPU prices continued to fall rapidly after the mid-2000s, contrary to what the PPI indicates–meaning that worries about a slowdown in this sector are likely unwarranted.

According to Sichel, these results have important implications, not only for understanding the rate of technological progress in the semiconductor industry but also for the broader debate about the pace of innovation in the U.S. economy.

“These findings give us reason to be optimistic,” said Sichel. “If technical change in this part of the economy is still rapid, it provides hope for better times ahead.”

Sichel and his coauthors also acknowledge that their results raise a new puzzle. “In recent years,” they write, “the price index for computing equipment has fallen quite slowly by historical standards. If MPU prices have, in fact, continued to decline rapidly, why have prices for computers–which rely on MPUs for their performance–not followed suit?” The researchers believe it is possible that the official price indexes for computers may also suffer from measurement issues, and they are investigating this possibility in further work.

“How Fast Are Semiconductor Prices Falling,” coauthored by Daniel E. Sichel, Wellesley College and NBER; David M. Byrne, Federal Reserve Board; and Stephen D. Oliner, American Enterprise Institute and UCLA, is available as an NBER working paper and is online at http://www.nber.org/papers/w21074 and https://www.aei.org/publication/how-fast-are-semiconductor-prices-falling/.

The Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) today announced worldwide sales of semiconductors reached $83.1 billion during the first quarter of 2015, an increase of 6.0 percent compared to the first quarter of 2014. Global sales for the month of March 2015 were $27.7 billion, 6.0 percent higher than the March 2014 total of $26.1 billion and 0.1 percent lower than last month’s total. All monthly sales numbers are compiled by the World Semiconductor Trade Statistics (WSTS) organization and represent a three-month moving average.

“Despite macroeconomic challenges, first quarter global semiconductor sales are higher than they were last year, which was a record year for semiconductor revenue,” said John Neuffer, president and CEO, Semiconductor Industry Association. “The Americas region posted its sixth straight month of double-digit, year-to-year growth to lead all regional markets, and DRAM and analog products continue to be key drivers of global sales growth.”

Regionally, sales were up compared to last month in Asia Pacific/All Other (3.1 percent), Europe (2.7 percent), and China (1.0 percent), which is broken out as a separate country in the sales data for the first time. Japan(-0.4 percent) and the Americas (-6.9 percent) both saw sales decrease compared to last month. Compared to March 2014, sales increased in the Americas (14.2 percent), China (13.3 percent), and Asia Pacific/All Other (3.8 percent), but decreased in Europe (-4.0 percent) and Japan (-9.6 percent).

“Congress is considering a legislative initiative called Trade Promotion Authority (TPA) that would help promote continued growth in the semiconductor sector and throughout the U.S. economy,” Neuffer continued. “Free trade is vital to the U.S. semiconductor industry. In 2014, U.S. semiconductor company sales totaled $173 billion, representing over half the global market, and 82 percent of those sales were to customers outside the United States. TPA paves the way for free trade, and Congress should swiftly enact it.”

March 2015
Billions
Month-to-Month Sales
Market Last Month Current Month % Change
Americas 6.23 5.80 -6.9%
Europe 2.88 2.95 2.7%
Japan 2.55 2.54 -0.4%
China 7.75 7.83 1.0%
Asia Pacific/All Other 8.33 8.59 3.1%
Total 27.74 27.71 -0.1%
Year-to-Year Sales
Market Last Year Current Month % Change
Americas 5.08 5.80 14.2%
Europe 3.08 2.95 -4.0%
Japan 2.81 2.54 -9.6%
China 6.91 7.83 13.3%
Asia Pacific/All Other 8.27 8.59 3.8%
Total 26.15 27.71 6.0%
Three-Month-Moving Average Sales
Market Oct/Nov/Dec Jan/Feb/Mar % Change
Americas 6.73 5.80 -13.8%
Europe 3.01 2.95 -1.7%
Japan 2.80 2.54 -9.1%
China 8.03 7.83 -2.5%
Asia Pacific/All Other 8.57 8.59 0.2%
Total 29.13 27.71 -4.9%

About SIA

From mobile phones and computers to television, cinema and wearable devices, the display of full color, wide-angle, 3D holographic images is moving ever closer to fruition, thanks to international research featuring Griffith University.

Led by Melbourne’s Swinburne University of Technology and including Dr Qin Li, from the Queensland Micro- and Nanotechnology Center within Griffith’s School of Engineering, scientists have capitalised on the exceptional properties of graphene and are confident of applications in fields such as optical data storage, information processing and imaging.

“While there is still work to be done, the prospect is of 3D images seemingly leaping out of the screens, thus promising a total immersion of real and virtual worlds without the need for cumbersome accessories such as 3D glasses,” says Dr Li.

First isolated in the laboratory about a decade ago, graphene is pure carbon and one of the thinnest, lightest and strongest materials known to humankind. A supreme conductor of electricity and heat, much has been written about its mechanical, electronic, thermal and optical properties.

“Graphene offers unprecedented prospects for developing flat displaying systems based on the intensity imitation within screens,” says Dr Li, who conducted carbon structure analysis for the research.

“Our consortium, which also includes China’s Beijing Institute of Technology and Tsinghua University, has shown that patterns of photo-reduced graphene oxide (rGO) that are directly written by laser beam can produce wide-angle and full-colour 3D images.

“This was achieved through the discovery that a single femtosecond (fs) laser pulse can reduce graphene oxide to rGO with a sub-wavelength-scale feature size and significantly differed refractive index.

“Furthermore, the spectrally flat optical index modulation in rGOs enables wavelength-multiplexed holograms for full colour images.”

Researchers say the sub-wavelength feature is particularly important because it allows for static holographic 3D images with a wide viewing angle up to 52 degrees.

Such laser-direct writing of sub-wavelength rGO featured in dots and lines could revolutionise capabilities across a range of optical and electronic devices, formats and industry sectors.

“The generation of multi-level modulations in the refractive index of GOs, and which do not require any solvents or post-processing, holds the potential for in-situ fabrication of rGO-based electro-optic devices,” says Dr Li.

“The use of graphene also relieves pressure on the world’s dwindling supplies of indium, the metallic element that has been commonly used for electronic devices.

“Other technologies are being developed in this area, but rGO looks by far the most promising and most practical, particularly for wearable devices. The prospects are quite thrilling.”

Despite the inventory adjustment caused by LCD TV brands reducing their panel orders in the first quarter (Q1) of 2015, the strong demand for leading TV brands to fulfill their panel facilitation plans — combined with a strong cross-marketing push by TV panel makers — helped LCD TV panel shipments reach a record monthly high in March 2015. According to the latest Monthly TFT LCD Shipment Databasefrom IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), a global source of critical information and insight, LCD TV panel shipments from global panel makers reached 23.9 million in March 2015, growing 20 percent month over month and 11 percent year over year.

Panel shipments declined seasonally in Q1 of this year, because most LCD TV modules are manufactured in China and the Chinese New Year holidays in February meant fewer working days in LCD cell fabs in Asia and LCD module lines in China. Meanwhile, as the LCD TV panel supply-demand balance shifted from tightness to oversupply, TV makers have started to reduce orders, especially for older models. However, positive year-over-year growth is still expected, especially since there was such a strong rebound for LCD TV panel shipments in March.

“Although the LCD TV panel demand has shown signs of slowing after the holidays, leading TV brands are preparing their new models for launch, so orders are not diminished,” said Yoonsung Chung, director of large area display research for IHS.  “Meanwhile, panel makers are aggressively introducing 4K resolution, wide color gamut, ultra-slim bezels and other new features, to improve panel shipment growth”

While LCD TV panel shipments reached 253 million units in 2014, panel makers are aggressively targeting 261 million units this year. “Demand will slow, beginning in the second quarter of 2015, and panel prices are already starting to fall, so TV panel shipments may face some growth challenges in the coming months,” Chung said.

IHS_Large-area_shipments_2008-2015_150427

 

LCD shipment growth also varied by size in March, representing a shift in LCD TV size trends. The 23.6-inch display, which is primarily available in emerging regions, shipped a record 2.1 million units. Other display sizes setting records last month were 40-inch displays (3.3 million), 43-inch displays (1.2 million), 49-inch displays (0.9 million), and 65-inch displays (0.4 million).

Led by Samsung Display and LG Display, 4K LCD TV panel shipments grew from 1.7 million in February to a record-setting 2.6 million units in March 2015. Red-green-blue-white (RGBW) pixel-layout technology, which can help reduce power consumption, is expected to rise rapidly in 2015 as the industry’s acceptance of this technology has gradually extended from the Chinese market to the global market.

The Monthly TFT LCD Shipment Database provides the latest panel shipment numbers, surveyed from all large-area panel makers.

C3nano, Inc. announced today that it has acquired the major supplier of silver nanowire (AgNW) in Asia, Aiden Co. Ltd. of Korea. Recognized as the quality and manufacturing leader in AgNWs, Aiden’s breakthroughs in synthesizing uniform AgNWs at large scale is fueling important innovations in touch sensor applications. In addition to establishing a vertically integrated AgNW supply, the acquisition provides C3nano a gateway to the critical display market in Korea and greater Asia.

“This deal positions C3nano with a global footprint to provide the industry’s highest performing transparent conductive ink at manufacturing volumes. We are at scale today,” said Cliff Morris, C3nano’s CEO. “Our partnership means C3nano’s Silicon Valley operations can continue to focus on ink production and R&D for advanced formulations while Aiden focuses on what they do better than anyone else—produce at volume the best AgNWs in the world.”

“Our two companies coming together is a perfect fit because of the clear synergies between Aiden’s production capacity and C3nano’s formidable IP on ink formulations, thin films, processing and devices,” said Mr. Jinhaeng Lee, founder and CEO of Aiden Co. Ltd. “Both of our companies share a commitment to maintain the highest standard of product excellence with a united vision to deliver new and unique technologies to the consumer electronics industry and beyond.”

The Aiden acquisition solidifies C3nano’s position as a complete solution provider of premium TCFs for the flexible display, touch sensor, photovoltaic and organic light-emitting diode (OLED) industries.

Canatu, a manufacturer of next generation transparent conductive films and touch sensors, announces a new generation of high optical transmittance CNB (Carbon NanoBud) transparent conductive films at Printed Electronics Europe in Berlin on April 28th, 2015.

Canatu’s Generation 6 CNB Film boasts significantly improved light transmittance. With zero haze, zero reflectance and high transmittance, CNB films have unrivalled optical performance and provide for high contrast displays with great outdoor readability.

“High grade optics is an innate property of CNB Films. Gen 6 brings the optics to perfection, expanding the scope where our films can be applied. We see ourselves bridging technology and design as our films enable almost complete design freedom. No other product on the market has the combined properties of CNB Films: extreme flexibility, excellent conductivity and high quality optical performance”, explains Dr. Erkki Soininen, VP Marketing and Sales at Canatu.

Canatu’s Generation 6 CNB Films have 95 percent optical transmittance at a sheet resistivity of 100 ohms/square and 97 percent at 150 ohms/square. Earlier this year, Canatu introduced a super-thin, flexible 23um CNB Flex Film, with a world’s lowest 1 percent change in sheet resistivity after 150 000 bends at 2mm radius.

With improved light transmittance vs resistivity characteristics, CNB Films can now be used in a wide range of touch applications, including larger displays and single-layer touch devices with totally invisible patterns. Combining the award-winning optics with extreme flexibility and thinness, Canatu’s films are especially suited for wearable and flexible devices such as next-generation foldable smart phones and tablets.

Canatu’s transparent conductive film portfolio consists of CNB Hi-Contrast Film optimized for flat projected capacitive touch devices, CNB Flex Film optimized for wearable, flexible and foldable touch-enabled electronics devices and CNB In-Mold Film optimized for formable 3D capacitive touch surfaces.

Canatu made significant investments in its production during 2014. Canatu is now entering mass manufacturing with several design wins to be announced later this year for consumer electronics, wearables, household appliances, and automotive use.

Applied Materials, Inc. and Tokyo Electron Limited today announced that they have agreed to terminate their Business Combination Agreement (BCA). No termination fees will be payable by either party.

The decision came after the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ) advised the parties that the coordinated remedy proposal submitted to all regulators would not be sufficient to replace the competition lost from the merger. Based on the DoJ’s position, Applied Materials and Tokyo Electron have determined that there is no realistic prospect for the completion of the merger.

“We viewed the merger as an opportunity to accelerate our strategy and worked hard to make it happen,” said Gary Dickerson, president and chief executive officer of Applied Materials. “While we are disappointed that we are not able to pursue this path, our existing growth strategy is compelling. We have been relentlessly driving this strategy forward and we have made significant progress towards our goals. We are delivering results and gaining share in the semiconductor and display equipment markets, while making meaningful advances in areas that represent the biggest and best growth opportunities for us.

“I would like to thank our employees for their focus on delivering results throughout this process. As we move forward, Applied Materials has tremendous opportunities to leverage our differentiated capabilities and technology in precision materials engineering and drive a significant increase in the value we create for our customers and investors.”

It’s big, it’s blue, and it’s preventing approximately 30 tons of waste materials from winding up in a landfill every year. Brewer Science today announced its latest initiative to achieve and maintain zero-landfill status: a giant blue trash compactor that turns garbage into electricity.

Visitors to Brewer Science may notice “Big Blue,” a large compactor located on its campus headquarters. Items that would normally go to the landfill are now placed in the compactor and the contents taken to a waste-to-energy facility where it is used as fuel to make electricity. Generating electricity from items that would otherwise be discarded is another effort by Brewer Science to be a good corporate citizen that shares the values of its customers, employees, and community who want a stronger and healthier environment.

“We know ‘Big Blue’ will prevent approximately 30 tons of waste materials from going to the landfill each year. In simpler terms, it means that each compactor box will fuel approximately four houses or power 480 light bulbs for a month,” said Dr. Terry Brewer, President and CEO of Brewer Science. “Strong environmental stewardship has always been an important value for Brewer Science.  In 2002, Brewer Science began our mini-bin recycling program, which has resulted in recycling nearly 538 tons of waste. With the installation of more efficient water and electrical fixtures, we have reduced our water, electricity, and natural gas consumption. We have continued to challenge ourselves to find additional opportunities that make a positive difference in our environment and our community. With the addition of ‘Big Blue,’ we are not only reducing waste, we are harnessing a new energy source.”

Brewer Science has continued a partnership with the community by helping stakeholders properly dispose of waste and adopting surrounding streets in our industrial park. By working with the City of Rolla, the Ozark Rivers Solid Waste Management District, the Missouri Department of Natural Resources, the Meramec Regional Planning Commission, and the Phelps County Commission, Brewer Science provides area residents with community collections that have enabled Phelps County to properly dispose of almost 811,000 pounds of waste over the past 11 years. This partnership has contracted disposal companies and provided volunteers who collected appliances, electronics, and tires from area residents, which would have otherwise been disposed of in a landfill.  Brewer Science continues to support these efforts and will host an annual Electronic Waste and Tire Collection on May 30, 2015, from 8 am to noon at the Rolla Campus.

Brewer Science is a developer and manufacturer of materials, processes, and equipment for the reliable fabrication of cutting-edge microdevices used in electronics such as tablet computers, smartphones, digital cameras, televisions, LED lighting, and flexible technology products.

Strong promotion of 4K display resolutions from TV makers, display manufacturers and distribution channels has successfully increased consumer awareness and boosted 4K LCD TV penetration in 2014, according to a new report from IHS Inc. (NYSE: IHS), a global source of critical information and insight. While 4K is best known as a feature in high-end LCD TVs, starting this year 4K displays will emerge in all major display applications, including desktop monitors, notebook PCs, OLED TVs, digital signage, smartphones and tablet PCs.

The latest Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report from IHS reveals that the 4K display market reached $9.2 billion last year.  4K LCD TV contributed $8.8 billion to overall revenue; however, in 2015, 4K displays are coming to all major applications and will boost 4K revenue 94 percent year over year, reaching $18 billion in 2015. With the evolution of new display process technologies, to enhance the 4K display yield rate and lower costs, IHS forecasts that the 4K display market will be reach $52 billion in 2020.

“Since its market introduction in 2013, TV brands have recognized that 4K is a great way to enhance value, so they have strongly promoted 4K models,” said David Hsieh, senior director of display research for IHS. “4K content and broadcasting availability is also on the rise, which is helping more TV buyers recognize the value of this feature. Meanwhile, LCD TV panel makers have continuously improved 4K panel yield, which has reduced costs and facilitated even more consumer adoption.”

In 2015, LCD panel makers are targeting 40 million 4K LCD TV panel shipments, which represent 17 percent of all LCD TV panel shipments. In addition to TVs, consumers are starting to enjoy the benefits of ultra-high-resolution content in their smartphones and other mobile devices. Meanwhile, the “TV everywhere” concept is increasing consumer desire for higher resolution screens in their mobile devices. The professional-monitor and public-display market are also increasingly adopting 4K displays.

Source: IHS

4K LCD TVs continue to be the largest segment of the 4K display market, but smartphones and OLED TVs will experience the strongest growth this year. In order to compete with LCD TV in the high-end segment, OLED TV makers are including 4K resolutions. As display technology is improving fine-pitch pixel designs and brightness transmittance, 4K displays will become more affordable for mobile devices. In fact, panel makers like Sharp and JDI have recently announced and exhibited 4K smartphone panels. 4K tablet-PC displays, using oxide (IGZO) and low temperature poly-silicon (LTPS) processes, are also in panel makers’ plans.

On the other hand, sub-pixel rendering (SPR) technology will become an important way for panel makers to enhance 4K pixel design in their displays. For many years now, various versions of SPR have been used in the commercial production of AMOLED and LCD displays. Essentially they use two sub-pixels per white pixel, to offer a similar perceived resolution as conventional three-color red-green-blue (RGB) displays.

“The main benefits of SPR include fewer sub-pixels, higher transmission and lower power consumption,” Hsieh said. “SPR is an important element in the growth of the 4K display market.”

The IHS Quarterly Worldwide FPD Shipment and Forecast Report covers worldwide shipments and forecasts for all major flat panel display applications, including detail from over 140 flat-panel display (FPD) producers, covering more than 10 countries. The report analyzes historical shipments and forecast projections, which provide some of the most detailed information and insights available.