Category Archives: Displays

A new breakthrough in contact lens displays can turn your eyes in to dollar signs, but they aren’t an alternative to Google glasses — at least not yet. The Centre of Microsystems Technology (CMST), imec’s associated laboratory at Ghent University (Belgium), has developed an innovative spherical curved LCD display, which can be embedded in contact lenses. The first step toward fully pixelated contact lens displays, this achievement has potential wide-spread applications in medical and cosmetic domains.

Unlike LED-based contact lens displays, which are limited to a few small pixels, imec’s innovative LCD-based technology permits the use of the entire display surface. By adapting the patterning process of the conductive layer, this technology enables applications with a broad range of pixel number and sizes, such as a one pixel, fully covered contact lens acting as adaptable sunglasses, or a highly pixelated contact lens display.

The first prototype presented today contains a patterned dollar sign, depicting the many cartoons that feature people or figures with dollars in their eyes. It can only display rudimentary patterns, similar to an electronic pocket calculator. In the future, the researchers envision fully autonomous electronic contact lenses embedded with this display. These next-generation solutions could be used for medical purposes, for example to control the light transmission toward the retina in case of a damaged iris, or for cosmetic purposes such as an iris with a tunable color. In the future, the display could also function as a head-up display, superimposing an image onto the user’s normal view. However, there are still hurdles to overcome for broader consumer and civilian implementation.

“Normally, flexible displays using liquid crystal cells are not designed to be formed into a new shape, especially not a spherical one. Thus, the main challenge was to create a very thin, spherically curved substrate with active layers that could withstand the extreme molding processes,” said Jelle De Smet, the main researcher on the project. “Moreover, since we had to use very thin polymer films, their influence on the smoothness of the display had to be studied in detail. By using new kinds of conductive polymers and integrating them into a smooth spherical cell, we were able to fabricate a new LCD-based contact lens display.”

Prof. Herbert De Smet, who is supervising CMST’s display group further comments: “Now that we have established the basic technology, we can start working towards real applications, possibly available in only a few years time.

Energy-Efficiency Trends


December 4, 2012

Attribution: By gillyberlin (Flickr: Motorola Milestone Test) [CC-BY-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Demand for mobile functionality to achieve enhanced productivity, a better social-networking experience and improved multimedia quality continues to drive innovation in technologies that will deliver these objectives in an energy and cost-efficient manner. Subcommittee chair Stephen Kosonocky of AMD in Fort Collins, CO, writes on energy efficient digital trends of 2013, as well as another area of growing importance: energy harvesting. Read more.

IEDM 2012 slideshow: Go to First Slide >>>

Analog Trends


December 4, 2012

Subcommittee chair Bill Redman-White of NXP/Southhampton University in the United Kingdom discusses the global challenges facing analog circuit research. While the manipulation and storage of information is efficiently performed digitally, the conversion and storage of energy must fundamentally be performed with analog systems. As a result, the key technologies for power management are predominantly analog. Read more.

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RF Trends


December 4, 2012

The RF chips presented at ISSCC 2013 confirm that RF devices will continue to see larger levels of integration at the chip- and package- level for years to come.

This year has shown increased innovation, integration and technical maturity across RF frequency bands. ISSCC authors will present on an ongoing drive toward increasing levels of integration. This trend can be seen in all areas of RF design from mm-Wave, to cellular, to imaging, to wireless sensors. Subcommittee chair Andreia Cathelin of STMicroelectronics in Crolles, France discusses these trends. Read more.

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As technology continues to scale to finer dimensions, large caches are being integrated into microprocessor die. This chart shows the general trend of large cache integration.

Subcommittee chair Stefan Rusu of Intel in Santa Clara, CA will present on trends in high-performance digital. The relentless march of process technology, he says, brings more integration and performance. IBM’s System z processor leads the charge at ISSCC 2013, clocking in at 5.7GHz and with 2.75B transistors. Read more.

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The prime application for thin-film-transistors are backplanes for active-matrix displays, including in particular flexible displays. They are well-suited for integration with temperature or chemical sensors and more. Hoi-Jun Yoo of KAIST in South Korea presents.

Technology directions in the field of large-area and low-temperature electronics focuses on lowering the cost-per-unit- area, instead of increasing the number of functions-per-unit-area that is accomplished in crystalline Si technology, according to the well-known Moore’s law. Subcommittee chair Hoi-Jun Yoo will present on the trends of these large-area flexible electronics. Read more.

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The market for MEMS sensors is becoming more robust with demands coming from automotive, industrial, mobile and scientific markets. By Uploaded by Michael Schmid (Cropped image from [1]) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons.

Since 2010, there has been growth beyond expectations in the adoption of mobile devices, e.g. smart phones and tablets, which has called for larger volumes of CMOS image sensor chips to be produced. The resolution and miniaturization races are ongoing, and the performance metrics are also becoming more stringent. Roland Thewes of TU Berlin, Germany shares on the 2013 trends in imagers, MEMS, medical applications and displays. Read more.

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Qualcomm Incorporated (NASDAQ: QCOM) announced an expansion of its display technology agreement between its subsidiary Pixtronix, Inc. and  Sharp Corporation to develop and commercialize high-quality color, low-power MEMS displays incorporating IGZO (Indium Gallium Zinc Oxide) technology. The goal is to build the displays using existing LCD manufacturing infrastructure. As a result of the equity investment (of up to $120 million), Qualcomm will become a minority shareholder in Sharp.

Qualcomm’s equity investment in Sharp and the expanded joint development agreement build upon the existing work between Sharp and Pixtronix as the two companies have been engaged in development activities for the last year and a half. The goal of this joint effort is to accelerate commercialization of Pixtronix’s low power MEMS displays utilizing Sharp’s IGZO technology.

The equity investment by Qualcomm will take place in stages and the consummation of the transaction is subject to certain contingencies. 

The Wall Street Journal reported that Sharp is discussing possible injections of cash from Intel and Dell, in addition to the Qualcomm deal.

"As one of the leading electronics companies in the world, Sharp has an established industry brand and is a recognized leader in the development and commercialization of new innovative display technologies," said Derek Aberle, executive vice president and group president of Qualcomm. "Expanding our existing relationship with Sharp to jointly commercialize new MEMS display technologies will help both companies realize their shared goal of driving high performance, lower power displays for a variety of devices, including smartphones and tablets."

"Sharp has brought many innovations to the display industry, including the world’s first commercialization of IGZO technology in LCD displays this year," said Yoshisuke Hasegawa, executive managing officer of Sharp Corporation. "Sharp is targeting to accelerate the commercialization of MEMS displays by combining Sharp’s cutting-edge IGZO technology and Pixtronix’s MEMS display technology."  

 

November 30, 2012 – With the advent of two new touch sensor technologies, more than 7.5% of the mobile phone market will use "in-cell touch" in 2012 and tablet PCs will see a 5% shipment share of "DITO film structure" technology, reports NPD DisplaySearch. In-cell touch’s market share is estimated to grow to 16.7% by 2018.

Apple’s iPhone 5 uses in-cell touch technology, while the iPad mini features a DITO film structure.

"These two new projected capacitive touch sensor structures enabled Apple to reduce the thickness and weight of the iPhone 5 and iPad mini," said Calvin Hsieh, research director, NPD DisplaySearch. "These factors contribute to the consumer demand for these products, but manufacturing the new sensors has proven problematic."

Apple sources the 4-in. 1136 × 640 (326 ppi) in-cell touch LCD from LG Display, Japan Display Inc., and Sharp under a license to use Apple’s in-cell touch patents, and these panel makers are forbidden to sell LCD panels of any size using Apple’s in-cell touch patents to other companies. Limited production, along with the challenges in producing the new sensors with strict performance requirements, have resulted in poor yield rates (70%-80% or less) in LCD panel manufacturing and a higher price for in-cell touch.

The iPad mini represents the first tablet PC display to incorporate a DITO film touch sensor, which is lighter and thinner than DITO glass (0.125 mm vs. 0.4 mm). However, there are challenges with production of the sensor on film and lamination since it is easily broken when stretched. Also, alignment of film sensors is more difficult than with rigid glass, especially for larger sizes. These challenges have resulted in low production yield rates, which have been a contributor to the higher entry price of $329 for the iPad mini. Other less-expensive tablet PCs use glass sensors or a one-glass solution with optical bonding.

"In-cell touch and DITO film offer some clear advantages, but at the expense of lower yield rates and higher costs — at least in the early stages of production," added Hsieh. "Apple has concluded that the benefits of thinner, lighter devices will be highly valued by consumers."

NPD DisplaySearch’s 2012 Touch Panel Market Analysis offers a comprehensive breakdown of touch panel technologies and their market forecasts through 2018.

Touch technology shipments by category in mobile phones. (Source: NPD DisplaySearch)

November 30, 2012 – Applied Materials this week said it will combine its Display and Energy and Environmental Solutions (EES, essentially its solar tech) under one exec: Ali Salehpour, who was most recently a SVP at KLA-Tencor. This change also will usher out the current top execs in those business units, Mark Pinto (EVP/GM of EES) and Tom Edman (group VP/GM of AGS), who will both be leaving the company "after assisting in a smooth leadership transition."

"We are optimizing our worldwide organization to more effectively and efficiently address the dynamic markets in which we operate," stated Applied chairman/CEO Mike Splinter. "By bringing together these two business units, we believe we can better support our customers’ roadmaps and advance our technology for large-area applications."

Two weeks ago in AMAT’s fiscal 4Q12 conference call, Splinter acknowledged the "extremely weak market environment for display and solar" with very little investment activity happening. "Until we see clearer signs that solar equipment demand is recovering, we will take additional steps to reduce our cost structure and associated losses." (He also said business conditions should improve entering 2013 … but moments later in that same call CFO George Davis said AGS sales would be down -15% to -25% in fiscal 1Q13, and EES sales would be off by more than -30%.) Company president Gary Dickerson expanded later on in the call, referencing a reduction in operating expenses "significantly beyond our previously announced plans for this business" as well as a workforce restructuring (which was separately announced in October and interpreted by industry watchers as a de-emphasis of both EES/solar and display businesses). While stating confidence in solar as a long-term growth driver for AMAT, asserting it could gain $100M in revenues for each industrywide GW of newly added capacity, "as long as the current market conditions exist we will significantly scale back our investment in this business," Dickerson said.

Pinto has been with Applied since 2004, serving as CTO from then until 2010. He initiated the company’s efforts in solar and solid-state lighting, which led to the formation of the EES division; he also once led the company’s Displays business. Edman spent 10 years with Applied Films, serving as president and CEO from 1998 to 2006, when Applied Materials acquired it.

The departure of both execs, and combining the two profit-dragging divisions under one reporting structure, is just the start of "a more serious restructuring of the divisions [… and] evaluation of the market opportunities and the divisions’ cost," surmises Barclays analyst CJ Muse. He notes, though, that AMAT hasn’t formally changed its previous EES plan of ~$400M-$500M breakeven levels, and Muse sees no improved visibility here until the company’s March Analyst Day.