Nov 26 2010
Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have demonstrated an electrowetting (EW) display on paper. The demo by Duk Young Kim and Andrew Steckl shows that the paper can be utilized as the substrate in EW displays. This breakthrough creates the possibility of developing flexible, economical video-rate e-paper.
The displays found on e-readers like electrophoretic-based Kindle depend on a complex circuitry that is fabricated on a sturdy glass substrate. However, in EW, to turn the pixels on and off, an electric field is supplied on opaque droplets in a display. In addition, a traditional EW technology is fabricated on sturdy substrates. The mass production and the use of inexpensive paper as the EW substrate can open up new applications.
The scientists noticed that the performance of the EW device on paper is the same as that of glass. In addition, the electrowetting devices offer quick switching times of 20 ms and exhibited a low hysteresis of 2%/. The development could develop a new paper-like, rollable display that provides color video with high-resolution in bright light environments, and offers news.
Source: http://www.uc.edu/