LG Begins Mass Production of First Flexible E-ink Displays 87
MrSeb writes "LG has just announced it has begun mass production of the world's first flexible, plastic e-ink display, with finished devices expected to hit Europe next month. LG says these plastic displays are half the weight (14g) and 30% thinner (0.7mm) than the hard, heavy, prone-to-cracking glass-laminate e-ink displays found in e-book readers like the Kindle and Nook. The press release says the plastic display survives repeated 1.5-meter drop tests and break/scratch tests with a small hammer, and that it's flexible up to 40 degrees from the mid point. Technology-wise, it's not very clear how LG's e-paper actually works. The press release suggests LG is using a conventional TFT process, which hints that they've cracked Electronics on Plastic by Laser Release (EPLaR). EPLaR is basically a technique of embedding electrophoretic ink capsules in a plastic substrate, but using existing TFT manufacturing processes, rather than building a whole new factory (unlike E Ink, which makes displays for the Kindle and other e-book readers). If this is the case, then other LCD manufacturers like Samsung and Sharp could start producing e-ink displays as well, hopefully driving prices down and further improving the display technology."
Re:Does the display require power? (Score:5, Informative)
TFT is just "thin film transistor" - the switches that make it work. Backlit flatpanel displays are really LCD (liquid crystal display). Liquid crystals need a sustained voltage bias for their polarization to hold. The suspension of charged ink capsules in eInk does not require a sustained bias for the capsules to stay put in their viscous oil carrier. That is the property that governs the power consumption of these displays, not the electrode substrate.
TFT = Thin Film Transistor (Score:5, Informative)
TFT means Thin Film Transistor, and from what I understand is a method of manufacturing transparent electronics behind the display. If it's still an e-ink display, those transistors will presumably only be powered on when it's time to flip the capsules.
Re:Does the display require power? (Score:3, Informative)
It makes it clearer in TFA. The 'TFT process' they refer to is the manufacturing process. So a TFT manufacturing plant is believed to be able to produce the LG eInk plastic as well without significant retooling. The LG eInk display is low power usage, just like normal eInk displays.