Category Archives: Flexible Displays

October 28, 2011 — Printed electronics can improve existing electronics and energy applications, replacing non-printed layers in displays or increasing crystalline silicon photovoltaics efficiency, among other applications shared below.

The giant East Asian electronics companies are replacing several non-printed layers in LCD flat screens with one printed layer, greatly reducing the cost, said Raghu Das, CEO, IDTechEx.

Third-generation lithium-ion batteries are printed and solid state, doubling the all-electric range of new electric cars, Das added.

T-Ink Inc plans to replace heavy, expensive wiring in road vehicles with printed wiring.

DuPont announced recently that it has acquired Innovalight, Inc., a company specializing in advanced nano-silicon inks and process technologies that increase the efficiency of crystalline silicon solar cells. DuPont exceeded $1 billion in revenue from sales into the conventional photovoltaic market in 2010, and it has set a goal to reach $2 billion by 2014 based on continued growth supported by new innovations that improve solar module efficiency, lifetime and overall system costs. Silicon inks used in conjunction with DuPont Solamet photovoltaic metallization pastes boost the amount of electricity produced from sunlight, enabling the production of superior Selective Emitter solar cells.

Kovio in Milpitas is printing the logic in the electronic tickets of the Los Angeles Metro, replacing the silicon chip at a lower price point.

More examples from Das include OTB group ink jet printing in solar cell mass production, Solexant optimizing solar cell production and Boeing Spectrolab further enhancing solar cell efficiency for space PV to terrestrial applications. In the energy arena, battery testers are printed onto Duracell batteries by Avery Dennison, and OLED displays are printed in phones and cameras.

Raghu Das is CEO of IDTechEx and co-author of the annual, "Printed, Organic & Flexible Electronics Forecasts, Players & Opportunities 2011-2021" available at www.IDTechEx.com/pe.

IDTechEx hosts Printed Electronics USA, this December in Santa Clara, CA, where many of these applications will be discussed. Learn more about IDTechEx at http://www.idtechex.com

October 13, 2011 — Researchers from the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) and the University of Cambridge created a full-color high-resolution 4" quantum dot light emitting diode (QD-LED) display using transfer printing (Nature Photonics, 2011).

Figure. Transfer printing for patterning quantum dots (QDs). (i) Modification of the donor surface with SAM, and spin-coating of QDs. (ii) Application of an elastomer stamp to the QD film with appropriate pressure. (iii) Peeling of the stamp, quickly, from the donor substrate. (iv) Contacting the inked stamp to the device stack, and slowly peeling back the stamp. (v)–(vii) Sequential transfer printing of green and blue QDs. b, Fluorescence micrograph of the transfer-printed RGB QD stripes onto the glass substrate, excited by 365 nm UV radiation.

The team began by modifying the donor substrate surface with a chemically bound self-assembled monolayer (SAM). Red-, green-, and blue-emissive quantum dots are printed via the same precise process at room temperature. Various substrates could be used, including flexible ITO/PEN. Future work will focus on scaling the printing process to industrial production without degrading resolution. Aligning the different color QD stripes over large-area may pose a challenge, notes Khashayar Ghaffarzadeh, technology analyst, IDTechEx.
 
QD-LEDs are electroluminescent colloidal quantum dots that can be printed in thin films to combine inorganic LEDs’ customizable, saturated, stable color and low-voltage performance with polymers’ solution processability, said Ghaffarzadeh.

Also read: Quantum dot OLEDs fabbed via spin coating

For QD-LEDs to work, the thin film transistors (TFTs) in the active-matrix backplane must supply a very stable current. New backplane technologies like metal oxides could replace amorphous silicon for this function. Researchers from the University of Cambridge have also demonstrated solution-processed high-performance metal-oxide TFTs (Nature Materials, 2011) with a <250°C annealing temperature.

The University of Cambridge will present at IDTechEx’s Printed Electronics USA. Printed Electronics USA 2011 will take place November 29-December 2 in Santa Clara, CA, with tours to local centers of excellence. Learn more at www.IDTechEx.com/peUSA.

References:
Full-colour quantum dot displays fabricated by transfer printing, Nature Photonics 5, 176-182, (2011). Low-temperature, high-performance solution-processed metal oxide thin-film transistors formed by a ‘sol-gel on chip’ process, Nature Materials 10, 45-50(2011).

IDTechEx provides custom consulting, research and advisory services in Printed Electronics, RFID, Photovoltaics, Energy Harvesting and Electric Vehicles. Learn more at www.IDTechEx.com/nano.

October 12, 2011 — ITRI, Industrial Technology Research Institute of Taiwan, introduced i2R e-Paper, a re-writeable, re-usable, LCD-based electronic paper medium that can be manufactured in a variety of sizes.

The e-paper is a flexible cholesteric liquid crystal display (LCD) that uses heat to store and transit images. It avoids use of electronic inks. The product is very bendable. Because cholesteric liquid crystal is a reflective display technology, it uses ambient light rather than backlighting. No power is consumed to maintain a display. Colors are produced by adding different pitch spherical composite ion-exchangers.

i2R e-Paper delivers 300dpi resolution. The paper targets initial applications in advertising banners, corporate visitor ID badges, transit passes, etc. Follow-on applications include digital books and pictorials, wall banners, large-size electronic bulletin boards, etc.

Water-solvent marker pens can be used on the paper and easily washed off. To print and change content, users need a thermal printer fitted with a thermal head. Re-use erases the old image and prints a new one with no inks or toner. Production costs are low, ITRI says, and single units can be re-written up to 260 times. More development work is underway to increase this re-use factor.

ITRI is licensing and transferring i2R e-Paper technology to manufacturers producing consumer e-paper and thermal writer machines. Recently, ITRI completed an industry science and technology program with four material manufacturers and five equipment operators, and the technology has also been transferred to one of Taiwan’s top chemical engineering manufacturers for trial mass production.

ITRI has applied for 17 patents for i2R e-Paper, 8 of which have been granted. ITRI is in the process of licensing the technology in Taiwan and is currently in talks with US companies as well.

Watch a video on how e-paper differs from paper here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nur36P3fDYU

Also read: ITRI LCD polarizer film avoids toxic solvents, saves production costs

Industrial Technology Research Institute (ITRI) is a nonprofit R&D organization performing applied research and technical services in 6 core laboratories, 3 focus centers, 5 linkage centers, and many labs and business development units. ITRI concentrates on Information and Communication; Electronics and Optoelectronics; Material, Chemical and Nanotechnologies; Biomedical Technologies and Device; Advanced Manufacturing and Systems; and Green Energy and Environment. Learn more at www.itri.org.tw/eng.

September 14, 2011 – PRWEB — Using a microreactor and control software, Quantum Materials Corporation (QMC) and the Access2Flow Consortium of the Netherlands achieved a continuous flow process to mass produce quantum dots.

With mass production, Quantum Materials Tetrapod Quantum Dots will be available in materials quantities needed for high-volume electronics products, such as solid-state lighting, quantum-dot light emitting diode (QLED) displays, nano-bio apps, etc. This process will also be used for QMC’s subsidiary, Solterra Renewable Technologies, for quantum dot solar cells and solar panels.

The continuous flow process claims yield and conversion improvements over batch quantum dot synthesis. QMC’s goal is 100kg/day production “with a 95% or greater yield,” explained Stephen Squires, founder and CEO of Quantum Materials Corporation. The inherent design of the microreactor allows for commercial-scale parallel modules to achieve large production rates at low cost in a regulated, optimized system. Materials choice for QD production is flexible, enabling work on heavy-metal (cadmium) free quantum dots and other biologically inert materials. Adaptability to other inorganic metals and elements is as important as the scaleability achieved in the process flow, said QMC CTO Dr. Bob Glass.

Also read: E beam litho, etch make identical quantum dots

While quantum dots offer performance improvements for products from LED displays to energy storage systems, lacking high-volume manufacturing methods have limited quantum dot integration into commercial products, say the Quantum Materials representatives. The continuous flow manufacturing process is meant to eliminate the difficulty in manufacturing quantum dots, the lack of quality and uniformity of quantum dots, and the corresponding high cost (average $2500-$6000/gram).

Quantum Materials Corporation uses volume manufacturing methods to establish a growing line of quantum dots. Learn more at http://www.qdotss.com.

Solterra Renewable Technologies Inc develops sustainable and cost-effective solar technology by replacing silicon wafer-based solar cells with Quantum Dot-based solar cells. Solterra is a wholly-owned subsidiary of Quantum Materials, Inc. Go to http://www.solterrasolarcells.com.

Access2Flow is a consortium of FutureChemistry, Flowid and Micronit Microfluidics based in the Netherlands. Access2Flow produces technology for converting small laboratory processes or “beaker batches” to full scale optimized "continuous flow chemistry."

Plastic Logic changes CEO


September 7, 2011

September 7, 2011 – BUSINESS WIRE — Plastic Logic, plastic electronics technology development company, named Indro Mukerjee as CEO, succeeding 4-year CEO Richard Archuleta.  

In 2007, Plastic Logic raised $100 million of equity finance to build a flexible active-matrix display module factory. However, in 2010, the company revised its product roadmap and cancelled its QUE product, planning to move ahead with a second-generation ProReader plastic-electronics-based product.

Mukerjee joins Plastic Logic after serving as Chairman and CEO of high-rel electronics manufacturing firm C-MAC MicroTechnology. Prior to that post, he worked with Philips Semiconductors BV with several executive roles. He was a director in the IPO of VideoLogic, and has held senior management roles with Hitachi’s European Semiconductor Division.

Mukerjee holds a degree in Engineering Science from Oxford University and is a graduate of the Advanced Management Program of the University of Pennsylvania Wharton School.

Plastic Logic is attempting to commercialize its flexible electronics displays, and Mukerjee expects to form "a global business" based around its "unique technology and engineering expertise." Initial commercial products will be rolled out later in 2011, as Plastic Logic’s second manufacturing plant (Zelenograd, Russia) breaks ground. Zelenograd should come online in the 2013-2014 timeframe.

Plastic Logic will concurrently invest in expanding its high-volume, state-of-the-art manufacturing facility in Dresden, Germany, which opened in 2008, as well as its technology R&D center in Cambridge, England and its product development hub in Mountain View, CA.

Plastic Logic’s flexible display products and devices help individuals and businesses use information more effectively. For more information on Plastic Logic, go to PlasticLogic.com.

September 1, 2011 – PRNewswire — Reportlinker.com released The Future of Mobile Display by ROA Holdings, which finds that larger panels are increasing mobile device usage, and AMOLED is replacing LCD as the mainstream display technology. Mobile device companies, rather than display makers, are leading the drive for new technologies.

Active organic light emitting diode (AMOLED) is ousting LCD for displays because of better performance and capacity of realizing flexible display. Electronic paper display (EPD), quantum dot (QD) and micro electro mechanical systems (MEMS) are emerging along with new applications for these display technologies. New displays, including 3D and flexible displays, are being aggressively pursued. From 2008, mobile display prices declined as technological differentiation became trivial. Recently, however, technologies are how mobile device manufacturers differentiate themselves. Larger and better-resolution display panels neccesitate lower power consumption and superior readability in sunlight.

Mobile Display is emerging as one of the key hardware groups among mobile handset manufacturers. Mobile display panels have been developed with technological characteristics different from IT devices and televisions. Also, its development speed has been faster than other applications. While size and technology are hardly standardized in mobile displays, ROA Holdings defines mobile display as a 10" or smaller display customized to the mobile environment.

Initially, Japanese companies dominated mobile displays with competitive technologies. Soon, Taiwanese companies arrived with cheap price and large supply. Now, mobile device companies like Apple are leading technology development. Apple and Samsung are investing in improved hardware and related technologies.

In 2010, mobile display surpassed laptop display market with achieving a total shipment of 3 billion and sales of USD24 billion. The market is expected to maintain an annual growth rate of 5%.  

Each mobile application is expected to develop in its own market direction:
Mobile handsets are growing touchscreen usage. More smartphones are being equipped with a 3.5-inch display or larger panel at 250ppi. Technological fortitude is neccessary to compete in the smartphone display market.

Digital imaging standards have improved from conventional DSC standards to mobile handset standards, with bigger and better-resolution screens. Prices are falling faster compared to previous years.

Portable media players, like iPods, are changing the media player landscape, making it more high-end. As the iPod goes, so to will the rest of the PMP market.

Automotive applications, like factory-integrated navigation and portable navigation, are seeing a price decline as the market becomes saturated.

Amusement is a closed market dominated by two manufacturers and two display suppliers. The market is active in adopting new technologies.

The report provides quantitative prediction and qualitative analysis on the possibilities and values of technologies, including AMOLED, EPD, Quantum Dot and MEMS in a way to verify their effectiveness. Order Wireless Technology Industry: The Future of Mobile Display at http://www.reportlinker.com/p0609414/The-Future-of-Mobile-Display.html#utm_source=prnewswire&utm_medium=pr&utm_campaign=Wireless_Technology

August 30, 2011 — Large organic semiconductor molecular structures will lead to plastic-based flexible electronics produced via roll-to-roll processing, inkjet printing or spray deposition, cheaply and in high volumes. Oana Jurchescu, assistant professor of physics at Wake Forest University, and a team of Stanford, Imperial College (London), University of Kentucky and Appalachian State researchers developed an extremely large molecule that is stable and possesses excellent electrical properties at a low cost.

The team studies field-effect transistors (FETs), specifically the effect of molecular structure on their electrical performance. They investigated new organic semiconductor materials amenable to transistor applications and explored their structure-property relationships.

Organic electronics build on carbon-based materials, which can be used to make artificial skin, smart bandages, flexible displays, smart windshields, wearable electronics and electronic wall papers that change patterns with a flip of the switch.

The research was predicated on predictions that larger carbon frameworks would have superior properties to their smaller counterparts. The Wake Forest team’s goal was to make these larger frameworks stable and soluble enough for study. "We need to improve our understanding of how they work," said Jurchescu.

Jurchescu’s lab is part of the physics department and the Center for Nanotechnology and Molecular Materials. Wake Forest graduate students Katelyn Goetz and Jeremy Ward also worked on the research.

The team recently published their manuscript in Advanced Materials. Access it here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.201101619/abstract

Learn more about Wake Forest University at http://www.wfu.edu/

August 29, 2011 — Gold wires are used in electronic devices due to the material’s flexiblity and conductive quality. At the nanoscale, however, gold wires (<20nm wide) become "brittle-like" under stress, according to a new study at Rice University.

Rice materials scientist Jun Lou and his team studied nanowires under strain conditions expected to be found in flexible electronics and other nanoelectronics. The study could be performed on gold, silver, tellurium, palladium, and platinum nanowires.

Researchers expected the wires to undergo extensive plastic deformation and fracture under stress, a condition called "necking" where nanowires deform in a specific region and stretch to a point before they eventually break. Gold’s ductility allows it to withstand very large displacement, but at the nanoscale, it forms "twin" defects, said Lou, an assistant professor of mechanical engineering and materials science. These differ from normal necking defects.

Figure 1. A single crystal nanowire shows twinning under tensile loading. SOURCE: Lou Lab, Rice University.

"Twin" defects have a mirrorlike atomic structure unique to crystals. Atoms to the left and right of the defect boundary "exactly mirror each other," Lou said. The twinning was visible asdark lines across the nanowire observed with an electron microscope.

Gold nanowires are "brittle-like" because ductility is reduced but not eliminated, and the fracture differs from typical necking, he said.

Figure 2. A series of electron microscope images showing a gold nanowire with several twin boundaries (dark lines). The wire fractures at the site of a groove that appears at the bottom twin. SOURCE: Lou Lab, Rice University.

Rice tested 22 gold wires less than 20nm wide, clamping them to a transmission electron microscope/atomic force microscope (TEM/AFM) sample holder and pulling the wires at constant loading speeds. Twins appeared under stress, which forced atoms to shift at the location of surface defects. The "damage-initiation sites" reduce ductility and cause premature fractures, Lou said, which was an unexpected degree of defect.

With current technology, it’s nearly impossible to align the grip points on either side of the wire, so shear force on the nanowires was inevitable. "But this kind of loading mode will inevitably be encountered in the real world," he said. "We cannot imagine all the nanowires in an application will be stressed in a perfectly uniaxial way."

Results are published in the journal Advanced Functional Materials. Read the abstract at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adfm.201101224/abstract

Lou’s team included former Rice graduate student and the paper’s first author, Yang Lu, now a postdoctoral researcher at MIT. Jun Song, an assistant professor at McGill University, and Jian Yu Huang, a scientist at Sandia National Laboratories, are co-authors of the paper.

The Air Force Office of Sponsored Research, National Science Foundation and Department of Energy supported the research.

Rice University operates schools of Architecture, Business, Continuing Studies, Engineering, Humanities, Music, Natural Sciences and Social Sciences and is known for its "unconventional wisdom."

Subscribe to Solid State Technology/Advanced Packaging.

Follow Advanced Packaging on Twitter.com by clicking www.twitter.com/advpackaging. Or join our Facebook group

July 27, 2011 — Solvay provided EUR10 million (USD15 million) to printed electronics company Plextronics, in a financing round to accelerate Plextronics’ technology development and product delivery. Solvay is Plextronics’ largest minority shareholder.

Headquartered in Pittsburgh, PA, Plextronics focuses on organic light emitting diodes (OLED) and organic solar photovoltaics (OPV) technology, specifically the conductive inks and process technologies that enable those and other similar applications. It was spun out of Carnegie Mellon University in 2002, based on the research of Dr. Richard McCullough. The company is ISO 9001:2008 and ISO 14001:2004 certified.

Printed electronics enable new form factors and cost structures for electronic devices.

Plextronics has achieved milestones in the last two years as an advanced ink provider for solution-processed OLED and OPV manufacturers, noted Andy Hannah, President and Chief Executive Officer of Plextronics, who called attention to the company’s OLED development for flat panel displays and lighting applications.

Léopold Demiddeleer, Head of Future Businesses & Corporate Platforms, a section of Solvay’s newly created Innovation Center, noted that OLED adoption is a sign that printed electronics are headed for mass markets.

PLEXTRONICS Inc. an international technology company that specializes in printed lighting, display, solar and other organic electronics. For more information about Plextronics, visit www.plextronics.com.

SOLVAY is an international industrial Group active in chemistry. Solvay is listed on the NYSE Euronext stock exchange in Brussels (NYSE Euronext: SOLB.BE – Bloomberg: SOLB.BB – Reuters: SOLBt.BR). Learn more at www.solvay.com.

Also read: Organic Electronics Workshop: OLEDs, OTFTs, OPV, and futile resistance by Michael A. Fury

by Michael A. Fury, Techcet Group

Click to EnlargeJuly 21, 2011 – The third and final day of the San Francisco Organic Microelectronics & Optoelectronics Workshop VII was attended almost as well as Day 1, but sport coats and neckties gave way to jeans and sneakers.

Daniel Lecloux of DuPont gave us an update on solution processing for OLED display and lighting applications. Solution processing is critical to the economic viability of high volume OLED manufacturing. High-speed printing is not a term applied lightly here — using DNS equipment, the print heads move across the glass at 2-5 m/sec, with accelerations as high as 10G. The manufacturing system technology is scalable beyond Gen 4. At the moment, the ITO, aluminum, and electron transport layers (ETL) are vapor deposited; the remainder are solution printed, and a printed ETL is now being qualified. The shortest pixel life is for blue at 30,000 hours, with red slightly better and green ~2