Scientists advance paper-like displays

17 Jun 2002

A new material looks set to bring electronic paper a step closer to our screens.

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh, Scotland, have developed a new electro-optical material, which they claim could bring flexible "electronic paper" displays closer to the marketplace.

Jason Crain and colleagues combined a liquid crystal with colloidal particles to produce a self-supporting material that is strong, easily handled and shaped. By adding an array of electrodes, the team fabricated a paper-like display.

Crain claims that although the new material has very different [material] properties to its liquid crystal counterpart, tests show that its performance, namely the threshold voltage and switching times, is quite similar.

"People have been trying to develop flexible displays since the earliest days of computing, but no material has combined mechanical strength with a fast electro-optical response," said Crain. "At present there is no rigorous understanding of why this material displays these properties, but we want to discover whether it is durable enough to meet the demand of the marketplace."

Crain and his team are now seeking input and advice from the optics industry.