Plastic Logic's COO, Konrad Herre, spoke about the truly innovative applications being enabled by OTFT driven displays today at the 'electronica FORUM' in Munich, Germany.
Plastic Logic develops, manufactures and distributes flexible plastic displays in a wide range of sizes (both colour and monochrome), based on organic TFTs.
1. OTFT Driven Displays -
Enabling Innovative Applications
Konrad Herre, COO - 15 November 2012
electronica FORUM
2. Overview
• Organic electronics – a new electronic wave
• Technology leadership and commercialisation
• Flexible displays as new revolutionary component
• New applications and product concepts
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3. Key Milestons in Organic Electronics (OE)
• First organic TFT demonstrated (1986): Low mobility < 10-4
cm2/Vs
• First demonstration of clean field-effect mobilities within an order
of magnitude to that of a-Si: pentacene (1995), poly-3-
hexylthiophene (1997)
Current status
PARC
• Mobilities of 0.1 – 1 cm2/Vs achievable now in a range of solution
processed OSCs (p-type & n-type)
• Reliability comparable to a-Si (p-type)
Demonstrators / Applications
• 1998: First demonstration integration of OTFT backplane with PolyIC
e-paper (Lucent / E-Ink)
• 2007: Demonstration of 13.56 MHz (non-standard) RFID tag
(Philips, PolyIC)
• 2007: QQVGA of flexible OLED display driven by OTFT
backplane (Sony)
• 2007: Announcements by Polymer Vision and Plastic Logic to
Sony
commercialise OTFT technology in e-paper displays
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4. Why OE? Why Flexible Displays?
Comparison to conventional Si-based electronics
• Basic operation of OTFTs and MOSFET similarities and
differences
• Materials, device structures and performance very
different
• Plastic circuits not expected to replace silicon but…
• one should instead look for new and emerging applications
• where inorganic transistors cannot be used due to their mechanical
properties or cost.
Advantages
• Organic transistors relatively low temperature
manufacture compared to Si (>800°C) or a-Si:H (>200°C),
• Flexible plastic substrates (and even paper) on large scale
• Enabling novel products thin, ultra-light, robust,
low-power, foldable, bendable
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5. In the Vanguard of Plastic Electronics
Technology Development
10+ transistors 100+ transistors 1.2 M transistors Colour EPD 2.8 M transistors
Research, Process Development and Manufacturing
Cambridge University Cambridge Technology Centre Dresden Display Factory
- research in organic electronics - translating research into - first plastic electronics
products factory in the world
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6. Plastic Electronics Technology
• Uses plastic instead of traditional silicon semiconductors
and glass
• Enables a revolutionary design and form-factor
Shatterproof, Thin, Large and Light Display
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7. Display Technology Leadership
• World’s first and largest production of a plastic-based
flexible display
• Superior weight, durability, flexibility and thickness
• Daylight readable – viewing angle close to 180°
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10. Enabling New Applications
High resolution plastic displays in varying sizes
for following markets (among others):
• Healthcare Automotive
• Sports Signage
• Mobile solutions Education
• Smart cards Transportation
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11. Proven Technology
Successful introduction of first product
• Leveraging
Durability
Lightness
Thinness
• A focused eReader
Documents at the size of paper
Books
• Delivered in volume for
Russian education trial
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13. Visionary Products and Applications
Large displays Small displays
(10.7”) Example:
Example: The more
Stand-alone “intelligent”
flexible display smart card
as mobile printer
Tiled displays
(shown: 1x2; 3x3)
Example:
Signage; advertising
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14. Continually Pushing the Boundaries
Colour electrophoretic display (EPD) driven by OTFTs
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15. Continually Pushing the Boundaries
Video animation (12 fps) on an EPD driven by OTFTs
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16. Experience Plastic Electronics in Action
Visit the EPSON booth with our displays and applications
booth A4.224
or
take a virtual tour through the worldʼs first production facility for plastic
electronics and see the technology itself, including application concepts
it enables, in action online:
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