May 26 2004
SiPix, developer and manufacturer of the first fully scalable electronic paper compatible with all display types announced today that they have entered into an agreement with Polymer Vision, a venture in the Technology Incubator of Philips Electronics, one of the world’s largest electronics companies, AE: PHI). SiPix will be working with Polymer Vision to jointly develop the world’s most rollable, flexible electronic display. The electronic display will comprise SiPix’s MicrocupÚ Electrophoretic Film (EPF) and Philips’ extremely thin and flexible TFT backplane. Together, these two technologies create the thinnest, most flexible, durable and rollable display demonstrated to date.
The goal of a rollable display is to store a large screen within a small device. Existing portable products (such as mobile phones and PDAs) are limited in their form factor by the size of the display. With this new rollable, flexible display, the potential function and content delivery through wireless networks can expand substantially.
Benefits of this type of display include: improved access to text and images stored in a mobile device and enhanced viewing and storing of information. Imagine a device of size of pen with limitless electronic information viewed via a rollable display.
“The market opportunity for this type of display technology is immediate and limitless,” said R.C. Liang, Vice Chairman & CTO of SiPix. “Our core Microcup structure allows our e-paper to be of the highest quality. The result is the thinnest, readable, portable, durable and flexible display.”
SiPix’s Technology
SiPix’s proprietary Microcup structure enables the product to be bent and cut into any size or shape. The company’s roll to roll manufacturing process is empowered by its proprietary embossing and sealing process and is similar to a traditional paper printing press, where e-paper is manufactured on one continuous roll, enabling mass-produced product. SiPix’s e-paper is just as ultra thin and ultra light as traditional paper and even more durable and flexible.
SiPix’s e-paper displays provide a reflective, high contrast ratio, wide viewing angle and sun-light readable image. In addition, the e-paper is bi-stable which means the display will retain its image without power. Power consumption and operation voltage are extremely low.
For more information on displays, click here.